Better With Two
by more-than-words
Summary: The way back was long...so long. The Doctor recounts to Rose his adventures with various companions on the journey towards returning to her. 10Rose, JackOC, spoilers through Runaway Bride. Joint fic written with PetiteCafe.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** We really wish we owned it, but sadly that is not the case. It belongs to the BBC.

**Genre:** romance, angst, action/adventure, humour, fluff, drama, sci-fi, some other stuff.

**Rating: **T, for now.

**Summary: **"The way back was long...so long." The Doctor recounts to Rose his adventures with various companions on the journey towards returning to her. 10/Rose, Jack/OC, TV-verse and spoilers through Runaway Bride.

**A/N: **This is a joint fic written by myself and PetiteCafe. We've been having loads of fun working on this, and we hope you guys have a lot of fun reading it too. Just as an FYI, we've decided not to include Martha in the Doctor's post-Rose companions, mainly because we don't feel like we could do her justice when she's been on screen for such a short time and we don't want to muck it up. But anyway, enjoy the story!! We'll (hopefully) be updating every Monday and Friday. Enjoy!!

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"Rose?"

"Yes?" she answered without turning around. She kept her eyes trained on the paper in front of her, feeling her heart rate increase in the way that it did whenever he was near. She scanned the words of the mysterious parchment once again, wondering how it had come to show up floating next to the TARDIS console earlier. She knew that whatever the reason, it couldn't be good. Stuff didn't just show up randomly in the TARDIS without some extremely powerful and threatening force behind it. Rose wondered if the Doctor had come to tell her what it all meant… Finally.

She heard him move to stand behind her at the desk, but she still didn't turn around. Hands came to rest on her shoulders, rubbing lightly at the knots and slight tension there. She couldn't help the slight moan that escaped her as his thumb brushed gently over the column over throat, and she knew that he would be smiling at her reaction. He always did. _Smug bastard._

He moved his hands away from her then and turned so that he could lean against the edge of her desk, looking down at her with affection and dark want in his eyes. His lips curled slightly upwards as he regarded her, one hand pushing the paper away from where it lay in front of her and the other taking her chin to turn her gaze to meet his. "Don't worry about that," he said, nodding at the thick parchment that had a worrying air of dread and fate about it. "Everything will be fine. You know that, right?"

She nodded and smiled at him, taking his hand away from her face so she could hold it in her lap. "Yeah, I know," she replied, taking a moment just to pause and look at his face. She had gone so long without it; she had really missed the scruffy just-got-out-of-bed hair and his chiselled cheekbones and _those_ lips. And she had missed his eyes, missed the way they made her feel every time he looked at her. She still couldn't believe that she had him back. For a time she had thought that she'd be surviving off memories for all eternity.

She realised belatedly that he was holding his hand out to her, wiggling his fingers in front of her face. "Come on," he said. "There's something I want you to see."

"What?" she asked, feeling the slight rush of adrenaline she felt every time he showed her something new. She didn't think that it would ever get old.

He smiled cryptically. "Just come and see!" He waved his hand again.

She grinned back at him, his enthusiasm as infectious as ever. She took his hand and allowed him to pull her up from the chair, leading her out of the room and then down the corridor. She noticed that he was walking slightly differently to the way he had before they were separated; he was more time-worn now, and a bit more jaded about life. She wondered what had happened to him in the time they'd been apart. She wondered if he'd consider it bad practice to ask.

He led her into the control room, pausing for a few seconds at the monitor and pressing a few buttons before heading over to the doors and stopping straight in front of them. He let go of her hand to grasp the door handle. "Ready?" he asked, eyebrows raised and that lovely grin back on his face.

She nodded. "Yeah."

The Doctor opened the door and took her out of the TARDIS.

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They exited onto an alien planet; one that the Doctor had been to before and knew would be peaceful enough that they wouldn't be disturbed no matter how long they stayed here. He stepped back to let Rose go ahead of him, watching her with a smile on his face as she walked forwards a few steps before coming to a stop and turning a full circle to take in their surroundings. When her gaze finally came to rest on his face once more, he gave her one of his trademark grins and bounded over to pull her close to him. "So, first impressions?" he asked. "Any thoughts, preferences, opinions? Anything to say on the matter? Hmm? Anything at all?"

She laughed at his babble. "Well, I might have something to say if you'd shut up for a minute!"

The Doctor made a huge effort to straighten his face, bringing one hand up to press his fingers over his mouth. "Right," he mumbled through his hand. "Shhh, sorry."

Rose giggled and pulled his hand down into hers, twining her fingers with his in that way he loved so much. "It's beautiful," she told him.

"You think so?" He was unable to keep the slightly too eager tone out of his voice and he hopped on the spot slightly, glad that he was still able to please her in the way he used to be able to.

"Yeah, I do," she replied. "Where are we?" She moved away from him, his hand still in hers, and began walking towards the huge wilting tree in the middle of the field they were currently standing in.

The Doctor cleared his throat, preparing to launch into lecture mode, and for a moment he was able to kid himself that he and Rose had never been separated, that he had never lost her to another world. "We're on a tiny little planet in the Krillion cluster," he said. "It was originally established as a memorial, a common place where people could come to mourn the war dead."

"Which war?"

"Any of them. All of them. There have been lots of wars."

They stopped walking for a moment and Rose circled round to stand in front of the Doctor, staring up at him with those huge eyes he loved so much. "Yeah, I know," she replied quietly, and he knew that she was thinking of the war that had finally succeeded in driving them apart for a time.

"But then," he continued, determined not to get too melancholy when this was the first time he had really been able to get Rose alone since they were reunited. This should be a happy occasion, he thought. "But then it became more of a shrine, a resting place of peace rather than torment. People moved on, found new places to mourn, new things to grieve over. They thought that there was too much grief here to add any more to it."

"But it's so beautiful," Rose protested, once more turning to look at the endless field around them.

He nodded. "Yes, it is."

"I can't feel any of the grief."

He shook his head. "No. People laid their dead to rest, and that allowed the planet to rest as well. Souls were alleviated and the flowers bloomed once more." He gestured around at the flowers that surrounded them for miles and miles, the continuity broken only by the tree a little way away from them and the TARDIS parked somewhere behind them. "And look at it now!" he exclaimed. "A testament to life!"

Rose smiled at his enthusiasm and pulled him to sit in the shade of the old tree, flowers crushing and releasing their sweet scents as they made themselves comfortable. She took the Doctor's hand in hers once more. "Have you been here before?" she asked.

His eyes darkened for a moment. "Yes," he replied. He let the silence hang for a moment before continuing on. "After the Time War. I ended up here. I don't even remember how, I just remember that it helped." He failed to mention that the feeling of countless others' grief and mourning had at least helped to lessen a tiny bit of the pain he had been feeling at the time. "It's different now. Everything's light where it used to be dark; the plants are living where they used to be dead. The atmosphere is lighter."

"Maybe it depends on your perspective," she suggested. "How you're feeling at the time."

He made a quiet noise of agreement in the back of his throat, shifting to lean against the thick trunk of the tree and pulling Rose back to rest against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her back as she settled her head over his hearts, her brow furrowed in concentration as though she was listening for the pulse of his life. She raised a hand to rest on his ribcage, and he couldn't suppress the shiver that coursed through him at her touch.

Rose smiled as the Doctor bent his head and pressed a kiss into her hair. "So why did you bring me here?" she asked.

"I thought that we could talk," he said. "I think we need to talk."

"Yeah," she agreed.

They fell into silence then, neither one wanting to be the first to broach the subject of the time they were separated. They both knew that there were a lot of issues to be resolved over that, as well as issues over what they were going to do now. There was so much left unsaid.

The Doctor felt himself relaxing as the beat of Rose's heart fell into time with his own, her body feeling boneless against his. He rested his chin on her head and stared out at the endless ocean of flowers surrounding them. He felt bad for telling Rose that he had only been to this planet once before, when it had been in ruin, but he couldn't yet bring himself to tell her about the other times he had been. He didn't think that he was brave enough for that right now, and he knew that telling her that part of his story out of context would be worse than not telling her at all. He didn't want to mess any of this up, especially when he had only just got her back. "Rose," he said quietly.

She stirred against him. "Yeah?"

As soon as she lifted her head to look up into his eyes, he moved a hand to gently cup her cheek, smoothing his thumb over her skin and revelling in the feel of having her soft and safe and here and _with him_. He smiled down at her as he bought his head within a few centimetres of hers. "I thought I'd never see you again," he whispered. "When I lost you, I…" He shook his head, not knowing what to say that could fully describe the enormity of the loss and loneliness he had felt. He didn't know how he could tell her that those feelings hadn't truly gone away until he had seen her again, had been able to take her in his arms and hold her against his body, feel her life pulsing against his as he dipped his head to kiss her hello. And he kissed her again now, moving his mouth to press against hers for a few seconds, drawing her top lip between both of his and sucking on it gently before letting go and moving back to rest his forehead against hers, their breath melding together as they simultaneously exhaled. "Sorry," he said. "I just had to-"

"Don't," she told him, cutting him off with her words and a finger pressed against his lips. "Don't apologise for that. It was… It was good." She smiled and trailed her finger over his chin, down his throat. She kissed the corner of his jawbone. "Did I tell you how glad I am you came back for me?" she asked him, laughing slightly to disguise her urge to cry. "It was _so_ strange without you, like a part of me was missing, like-"

"Yes," he agreed, nodding. "I know." He dipped his head and kissed her again, fast becoming addicted to the feel of her mouth moving beneath his. "How…" he stuttered out when he was finally able to bring himself to pull away slightly. "How long was it for you, exactly?"

"Two years, three months, four days and about… Five and a half hours?" she said without hesitating.

The Doctor let his head thump back against the trunk of the tree, the earthy scent of bark filling his nostrils as he looked up into the branches. "I'm sorry," he told her.

"Don't be," Rose replied. "It wasn't your fault. How long was it for you? You never did say."

He sighed, knowing that this question would come. "Too long," he said vaguely. "Far too long." He looked back down at her, shifting so that they were sitting side by side, her head on his shoulder, his arm around her back. "But that's in the past now. All that matters is that we're back together, saving the universe just like we always did."

"We can't save the universe unless we save ourselves first," she said. "The Court…" She trailed off, knowing that he would know what she was referring to: the mysterious happenings that had occurred before and after they were reunited, the parchment that had somehow found its way into the TARDIS, all of the things he hadn't yet told her about their time apart.

"Don't worry about that," the Doctor insisted. "Everything is going to be fine."

She paused for a moment before nodding. "I know," she whispered. She straightened up then, lifting her head from his shoulder so she could see his face properly. She grinned. "Y'know, for a time when I thought you might not be able to get back, I…"

"What?" he asked, genuinely curious as to what she had been up to in the parallel universe. He wondered why she was grinning.

"I tried to start things up with Mickey again," she told him, her smile faltering only slightly as the words left her mouth.

"You _what_?!" It wasn't his fault that it came out accusing and disbelieving; really, it wasn't. He couldn't help but be indignant when she had just told him she had attempted to restart a relationship with an idiot he had thought she'd grown out of long ago.

She immediately burst out laughing. "Your face!" she spluttered. "You look like you're gonna explode!"

"Well, I am!" he cried. "You and Mickey the Idiot?! Rose!"

She snorted, which only caused her to laugh all the more. Eventually, she got her mirth under control when she saw the Doctor's slightly perturbed and not-at-all amused expression. "Sorry," she mumbled. And then louder, "But everyone kept telling me to move on with my life and that I'd never be happy unless I could get over you. And so I tried. It didn't work, by the way."

"Would you hate me if I said I was glad?" They both smiled at that, and they settled back down in their squashy bed of flowers and moss.

"It was a disaster," she told him, the grin creeping back onto her face.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes," she replied firmly.

"What happened?"

She thought about that for a moment. "I'll tell you later," she said. Her expression sobered as she regarded him thoughtfully. "There's something else I'd rather do now."

The Doctor tucked an errant strand of blonde hair back behind Rose's ear. "And what would that be, Miss Tyler?" he asked, trying to sound casual as he attempted to keep his wounded male pride to himself at the thought of her trying to start things up again with Mickey, of her trying to get over him. He knew deep down that he couldn't blame her. She'd done what she had to do to survive and carry on without him. All he'd ever wanted for her was to live a good life and be happy.

"I'd rather hear about what you did when we got separated," she told him, suddenly very interested in the pinstripes on his jacket as she traced over them gently with one finger. "It must be quite a story, considering how it's ended up." She nodded back towards the TARDIS and all that it held within- stories untold, adventures she knew nothing about, enemies she'd seen and ones she hadn't, friends both old and new. "Will you tell me?"

He studied her carefully, tilting her chin up so he could meet her gaze. He looked at her seriously. "You won't like all of it," he told her. "There are probably some bits that will make you like me less. Some things won't be easy to hear."

"I don't care," Rose said. "I want to know, Doctor. I want to know what happened to you because… It's changed you."

The Doctor nodded. "I know. And it's changed you too. So we make a deal, okay? I tell you my story if you tell me yours. That sound all right?"

"Yeah," she replied. "That sounds good." She faltered, her hand stilling on his jacket. She kept her gaze on his polka dot tie as her eyes welled up with tears that refused to be squashed back down. "I… I love you," she said. "I didn't mean… I didn't mean that you've changed in a bad way, just that it's obvious that a lot's happened since I last saw you properly. It doesn't mean I love you any less."

He smiled at her softly, pressing his lips against her forehead and relishing the feel of her warm skin against his mouth. He spoke against her skin. "I know," he assured her. "I know, Rose." He moved his lips to her temple, holding his lips over her pulse point for a moment before moving on to brush a fleeting kiss over the shell of her ear and whispering, "I love you too."

It seemed as though time stopped for a moment at his words. He had waited for so long to say them to her, and he knew he would never stop regretting the fact that he didn't manage to tell her before they were ripped apart. He had told her when they were reunited, of course; it would have been extremely bad form if he hadn't said it then, especially when he meant it so very much and it was his whole reason for spending so much time and energy doing everything he could to get back to her in the first place. He didn't think he'd ever get used to it; the deeply intense and heady feeling of telling the person you love that you love them more than anything, and hearing them say it back to you. He felt his hearts flutter and elation well up in his chest every time the words left Rose's lips. He couldn't bear the thought that she might doubt his feelings for her. "I love you," he whispered again, just to make sure she knew.

"Good," she said, pulling back to smile at him. She leaned forwards to catch his lips in hers once more, mumbling against his mouth. "I love it when you tell me that."

She kissed him again before he could reply, and he decided that this side of her made him love her all the more. Kissing her was second nature to him now, and he had forgotten why they hadn't been doing it for all the time they'd known each other. He smiled inwardly as her arms banded around his neck and her leg slipped over his so she was straddling his lap. She pushed her tongue into his mouth and he responded by pulling her body flush against his. "Rose Tyler," he growled out when she pulled away to breathe. "You little minx."

"You love it," she retorted.

"That's right, I do," he told her. "But you should know Rose," he continued in what he hoped was a dangerous voice. He grinned at her resultant shiver. "That when you play with fire, you get burned."

"Wha- oh!" Rose's question was cut short when the Doctor flipped her onto her back, grinning down at her from his new position above her. "Bastard," she hissed.

He laughed. "Now Rose, that's not very nice is it?" His face hovered above hers; his lips tantalisingly close but not quite within reach. He bumped his nose against hers. "Two can play at that game." He pushed his hips into hers again and they both groaned. "Are you going to play nice now?" He was smiling again, loving the endless possibilities that had opened up as a result of the advancement of his relationship with Rose.

She smiled back. "I will," she promised. "But only if you tell me what happened while we were apart. I need to know, Doctor." Her expression sobered; this was deadly serious.

He studied her face for a minute before sitting back to let her up, immediately pulling her back against his chest as he settled himself against the wide trunk of the tree. "Okay," he said when they were both sitting comfortably. "What do you want to know?"

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	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews and support so far guys! It's great that you like it :D This chapter starts the Doctor's story and reveals a few details of what went on. It might not all make sense at the moment, but it will at some point in the future, so please stick with it! Enjoy!

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"I want to know everything."

"Hmm. Well, everything is going to be a pretty long story. You sure you're up for it?" His smile had turned teasing, and she gave him a mock-glare.

"I wouldn't ask if I wasn't," Rose shot back. At his wounded-puppy look, she relented, casting a glance back at the TARDIS. "Unless you think..."

"No." The Doctor finished her thought. "They'll be fine. We've got all the time in the universe."

"Okay then, let's have it. Start with...start with what happened. After the beach."

"Oh! Well, that's a good point to start. That's the beginning, after all. Clever you." He chucked her under the chin, neatly evading the hand she swatted at him.

"Right then. Well, about two seconds after the signal cut out, a bride appeared smack in the middle of the TARDIS."

Rose's eyes opened wide. "A bride? You just stopped and picked up a hitchhiking bride?"

"No stopped about it. One minute I was there, alone in my despair, and the next, there was this woman in white shouting at me." He paused. "Come to think of it, that's most of what she did. Shout at me."

Rose chuckled. "Bet she was a little surprised."

"Could've been. She also insisted on thinking I was from Mars."

"Mars?" She scoffed. "No way. You're way too weird to be from that close."

"Are you going to let me tell the story?"

"You aren't telling it! You're just parcelling out little details! There's no "story" here yet, Doctor!"

"Right. Okay. So, this bride's name was Donna." He paused. "Donna. Don-_nah_. Such a strange name. The _Doc_-tor and _Don-_na." Rose was glaring at him again. "Not nearly as good as, say, Rose and the Doctor," he finished placatingly. She settled back down.

"She shows up in the middle of the TARDIS, starts screaming at me about kidnapping and whatnot, telling me she's getting married - said that one about eight times, she did - and finally just resorted to telling me to get her to the church. Which sounded like a good idea to me, because by that point I was a good bit tired of being shouted at..."

The minutes ticked by as the Doctor recounted Donna's story - robot Santas, Empress of the Racnoss and all. When he got to the point where Donna had slapped him twice, Rose looked up.

"She's slapped you more than my mum?"

"Nope." The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Jackie Tyler still reigns supreme in that department. She slapped me twice more before you got home from work."

"Twice more? What for?"

"Once for it taking so long for me to come back. And once for Kris. Though really, I only deserved the first one." He grinned. "But I'm getting ahead of myself now...can't tell the story out of order!"

"You were at the point where Donna told you to stop."

"Right. Well, that about wraps it up, really. I took her home and that was that."

"So she didn't stay? She didn't...travel with you?"

"Nope. I asked. She turned me down."

The little streak of jealousy which had been growing in Rose was abruptly snuffed out. "She turned you down?"

"Yeah. Said that it was too dangerous for her. But she did ask me to find someone."

Rose sighed. "Why is it that everyone's a better person than me?"

"What?" His eyebrows raised. "What do you mean by that?"

"I never told you anything like that. With that thing you did when you were the you before...the emergency program. You told me to have a fantastic life. I never told you to have a good life without me, or to find someone so you wouldn't be alone...all I did was miss you."

"I'm happy that you did!" He squeezed her. "But you're wrong about one thing. Donna didn't tell me to find someone so that I wouldn't be alone."

"Then why?"

"Because she thought that sometimes I need someone to stop me."

Rose was quiet for a moment, as she mulled over the story he'd just told her. "Maybe she's right."

"I think so." He squeezed her again. "Especially with everything that happened afterwards."

_The Doctor walks slowly back into the TARDIS. Alone. Still alone. For a few hours, he'd forgotten what it was like to be alone. Not that Donna had filled the gaping hole in him that Rose had left, but she'd been a sort of Band-Aid for a little bit. But now she's gone. And there's just him._

_He begins to laugh. Crazily. Loudly, at the top of his lungs. Why is he so sad? He can do what he likes now - go anywhere, do anything. No one to account to, to explain to..._

_No one to show. No one to teach, to explain to, to introduce to all the wonderful things that the universe has to offer. He's having trouble remembering what those wonderful things are, but he's sure that they're still out there. _

_He slams controls randomly, not caring where or when he's going. The dials spin, he works the bicycle pump and flips switches. The engines wheeze in protest, but they take him. He doesn't even look at the screen to tell him what his destination has wound up being - just bounds over to the TARDIS doors and throws them open._

"Where were you?"

The Doctor coughed. "Well, as it turned out, I'd taken myself right into the middle of the Horsehead Nebula. Sometime in the year 1500ish, Earth time."

"Oh. Bet it was nice."

"Very bright." He squinted. "But, as you might have figured, that wasn't nearly interesting enough for me."

_He runs back to the controls, taking a bit more care this time so that he'll actually wind up on a planet. And he does. A planet in the middle of its atmosphere collapsing, to be exact._

_He does what he can. He uses the TARDIS systems to hold the atmosphere in for a little while longer, buying the inhabitants of the planet more time to evacuate. In the end he takes the last dozen or so on board the TARDIS, escaping just as the last of the air is sucked away, leaving the planet enveloped by what is essentially a giant vacuum. _

"So you went on saving the universe." Rose sounded satisfied.

"Well, sort of. I went on like that for a good bit, though I was rather careless. Didn't much care if I came through any of it alive."

"You didn't?" She twisted in his arms, looking up at him, quizzically.

"Thing is..." The Doctor looked uncomfortable. "I didn't much like seeing myself any more. Hated it, really."

"Why?"

"Because you liked this daft old face so much," he murmured. "I couldn't look at myself any more without thinking of you. So one night..."

_One night he goes mad. _

_It's easy. He wonders why he hasn't done it before._

_He runs around the TARDIS with the sonic screwdriver set to a high C. Shattering each and every mirror in the entire ship...and it turns out to be a lot of mirrors. He also shatters most of the glassware aboard, but that's just a side effect. What's important is that he can't look at himself any more. Can't see the face that Rose had kissed, touched, which he thinks about every time he catches a glimpse of it. _

_When it is over, he comes back to himself in a corridor. There are bits of glass all over his suit; they will never come out. _

"Oh. So that's why the blue suit?"

"Yeah. You like it?"

"Almost didn't recognize you at first. Blue's a good color on you, though I kind of miss the brown."

"Me too. We'll have to see if there's a way to get the glass out of it. I did keep it."

_Glass shards crunch under his feet as he walks. There is one room he hasn't entered yet. He hasn't entered it at all, in the time that he has been alone. _

_Rose's room._

_He stands before the door, turning off the screwdriver. Let this be the one place he doesn't make a wreck of. _

_Steeling himself, he opens the door. _

_The room is a mess. Rose's clothes are still scattered everywhere, as if she'd been here just a few minutes ago. Her makeup is open on the dressing table, most of it dried-out by now. _

_It's more than he can take. The Doctor leans back against the door, slowly sinking down to the floor. He feels his chest tighten, and his face contorts in the effort to hold back the sob that is gathering._

_He sees the top of his head in Rose's vanity mirror. With a curse, he hurls the screwdriver at it, glass flying in every direction as it impacts. He feels the fragments rain down on him, scattering in his hair, over the floor, over the dressing table and the useless makeup. A smear of red catches his attention and he looks down, seeing the bright blood across the back of his hand, a cut from the flying glass. It stings._

_He slowly rises, feet crunching over glass, and retrieves his screwdriver from the wreckage. And he finds something else._

_The small book is unremarkable. It is bright pink, like many items on the table, and was hard to distinguish from the rest of the clutter until he was close. Engraved in silver on the cover is the single word: Diary._

"My diary? I'd always wondered what you would have done with it, if you found it." Rose blushed.

"Well..."

"It's okay. I guess I knew a long time ago that if you found it, you'd read it. I didn't mind so much, after awhile. Figured that it'd help, yeah?"

"It did."

_He sits on the bed. He wasn't sure he could do it till that moment. The disturbance of his motion rumpling the covers and releasing Rose's smell...didn't he read something once about how aroma is the best key to memory? _

_But he sits. And he reads._

_The TARDIS spins and time goes by as he reads, reliving all their adventures together. She had bought the diary shortly after she'd come aboard, and so it dates back to his previous regeneration. He reads about their journeys, about the terrifying experience of the Reapers and her fear that she'd lost him forever. He reads her story of meeting Jack Harkness, and feels the sting of jealousy at her observation that the dashing Captain is one of the most handsome men she's ever met. _

"What? He is!"

Despite himself, the Doctor laughed. "I need to show you more of the universe."

"No you don't. Jack may be _one _of the most handsome men I've ever met...but he doesn't hold a candle to you." She took his hand, folding their fingers together. "That's all I need to see."

It seemed to the Doctor like that was a perfect time to kiss her. So he did; pressing his lips gently onto hers. It was a thank-you kiss. And when he lifted his mouth from hers, he smiled, and added the words. "Thank you."

"Welcome." Rose's cheeks were stained a pretty pink. It made her look absolutely adorable, and he made a mental note that he needed to kiss her more often if that was the result.

_Much_ more often.

"So where was I?"

"Being jealous that I think Jack's handsome."

"Right."

_He feels a different sting this time, as he reads about the trauma that his regeneration caused her. He finds the things she'd never told him: the gradual return of her memories following the Game Station, for one thing. He finds the thoughts and memories that she was left with after Cassandra's possession. _

_He reads everything. Up till the day she was gone._

_When he finishes, the book falls from his hands, landing on the floor amidst the shards of glass. He observes that he must have thrown the screwdriver with a great deal of force to make such a mess._

_He feels that Rose is there. With him, in the room. His cursed memory retains everything, and her thoughts, her words that she had left behind are just in back of his eyes. _

_And as he stands, she is gone. Again. The spell is broken._

_He staggers towards the door. Vague thoughts of cleaning up are in his mind: showering. Finding new clothes, because between the glass and the blood, he's done a marvelous job of destroying this suit. Tending to the cut on his hand. The mundanities of life._

_Life?_

_Eventually he makes it back to the control room. He's found a blue suit in the wardrobe that fits him; it's not the same, but it will do. For the first time since Donna left, he tries to face the possibility that he really does need someone to stop him sometimes, as he looks about the debris littering his ship. If he'd had someone on board, he might not have run so mad._

_Or he might have. Just the same. _

_He tinkers for a bit, building a small robotic vacuum designed to suck up mirror glass. It looks like a strange cousin to K-9, which brings on a whole new onslaught of memories. Of others that he's left behind._

_He turns the vacuum on and follows it as it rolls through the ship, quietly cleaning up the glass fragments. It stops when it's full, and he empties it into the nearest handy bin. He'll need to stop off at a sun somewhere and burn the trash...all except for one bag._

_That bag is at the back of the wardrobe, and contains a dusty, bloody, glass-encrusted brown pinstripe suit. It is his testament to madness. And his reminder._

"Is it still there?"

"Told you I'd kept it."

Rose paused for a moment, and when she spoke, her question was hesitant. "Could I see it?"

"Not right now."

"No...I meant, later. Sometime. Just to know."

_The vacuum whirrs into the library. He stands in the doorway while it rolls around, gazing at the huge collection of books. There are works from Gallifrey that exist nowhere else in the universe now; stored on his junked-up, old, obsolete TARDIS during the war, in the hopes that he'd find a way to keep them safe. His own people knew he was a survivor. They understood that. Unfortunately, he hadn't. Till now._

_He walks to one of the shelves, his fingers dancing over the book spines. Textbooks from his time at the Academy...why exactly had he agreed to guard _those? _He grimaces. There's irony for you. _

_Tucked in between two thick volumes on temporal physics is a small, slim book. The spine is brown, lettered in faded gold. This book looks old and much-loved. He can't read the spine, but it's clear that this book doesn't belong in this spot. He pulls it out, turning it over to read the cover._

Stories_, it reads. One simple word._

_Something twinges in the back of his mind. A legend, half-forgotten. The vacuum waits at the doorway, and he waves at it impatiently to turn it off, striding hurriedly to a chair and plopping down in it. He nearly rips the pages from the fragile old book in his haste._

_Yes. There it is. Yes._

_He's not crazy. Or at least, he's not _that_ crazy. The story he remembers is there. And there might - there just might - be a way._

_For a moment, the sensation crawling up the inside of his chest is foreign. He doesn't recognize it and wonders momentarily if he's been infected by some sort of parasite. _

_One of those human poets called it the thing with feathers that perches in the soul. He had never understood what that meant until now, when he feels the tickling inside him._

_Hope._

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	3. Chapter 3

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"So what did this book say?" Rose asked, her head now in the Doctor's lap as they sprawled on the soft springy grass that surrounded the willowy old tree in the middle of the field of flowers.

"It… contained a legend," he replied after a long pause. A light breeze blew, ruffling his hair as they descended into silence once again.

Rose shifted against him. "What legend would that be?" she inquired once it became clear that the Doctor wasn't going to volunteer any more information of his own accord.

"The Court of Appeals," he told her.

"And what's that when it's at home? Like the House of Lords?"

He laughed. "No, not really. The House of Lords is hardly the stuff of legend now, is it? Its history might fill up a textbook or two, and it might make a few landmark rulings on Appeals cases, but it's hardly one of the great mysteries of the universe."

"Well, what then?"

He stroked her hair affectionately. "All in good time," he promised. "I'm not at that part of the story yet. At this point I wasn't really sure of anything. It was a miracle that anything remotely different even registered in my brain. Every time I started to think I'd find my mind wandering back to thoughts of you." His voice dropped to a whisper, so quiet it was almost carried away by the wind. "No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't seem to shake you Rose Tyler. You just refused to leave me."

"I'm glad," she said.

"Me too." The Doctor leaned down to kiss her forehead, and then flopped back to rest on the grass. Story-telling hour was about to get a whole lot more intense. "Anyway," he continued. "What I had read in the book gave me a new purpose, it gave me something to do other than find new and inventive ways of ending my life because you weren't there with me. I started to be useful again."

_He starts searching, for exactly what he's not entirely sure, but it gives some sort of structure to his days and he starts to be helpful again. His destructive streak lessens. He saves a few worlds, meets a few people, learns things he never knew. But he still can't find what he's looking for. And so he looks harder._

_One day he finds himself in one of the oldest founding libraries in the universe. He is hoping that there will be something here to lead him in the right direction, perhaps something written in one of the great old dusty tomes; a reference or a fleeting mention of the ever elusive Court of Appeals. He knows that legends don't appear out of thin air. They always have a source, and it must be here somewhere. _

_However, standing in the library's Great Hall, he's feeling a little lost. Seventeen floors of books, papers and journals, divided into thousands of categories and what must be millions of subcategories. There is information on everything in the universe here; the start of religion, its triumphs and losses, the death of the Gods. He thinks that Nietzsche sums it up. 'God is dead… but that is not to say he never existed.' There are theories on the start of the universe and on its end, tales of times past and still yet to come. Stories of the dead space between the worlds. Documents written on the origins of time itself. Articles on how it will all end. Given one thousand lifetimes, he still couldn't work his way through everything. And the library's collection is always growing; time waits for no man. Especially, it seems, when that man has a particular purpose in mind._

_Feeling somewhat bewildered, he navigates the complicated diagram of the layout of the building to find the information centre and corners the first person he sees who works here. _

"_Hello!" he says in a voice that is a lot more cheerful than he currently feels. "Can you help me?"_

_The man he is talking to is looking at him shyly. His gaze keeps flicking back to the massive volume in front of him on the desk, and it is clear that he would much rather get back to restoring the pages of some great work instead of helping this man with an expression on his face that is a little bit too happy considering the somewhat deadened look in his eyes. "Um, sure," he answers reluctantly, and stands up._

"_I'm the Doctor," the Doctor says._

"_Chuck," says the man._

_The Doctor frowns. "Chuck," he repeats. "Chuck."_

_Chuck frowns. "That's right."_

"_Your name is Chuck and you're a librarian? Sounds more like you should be playing in some intergalactic sports tour. Although, I guess it's fitting that you work with words and your name is a verb. 'To chuck'!" he exclaims. "So maybe," the Doctor continues manically. "Maybe you don't play baseball- perhaps you __**are**__ the baseball, and everyone chucks you around all day because that's your name! Chuck!"_

"_Um, could I help you sir?" Chuck asks, the line between his eyebrows deepening. "Or should I call security?"_

Rose laughed at the absurdity of the Doctor's story. "Did he call security?" she asked.

"Almost," he replied. "I admit I did get a little bit carried away, and I can hardly say that I blame him for getting annoyed when I went all Shakespeare on him and starting going on about 'To chuck or not to chuck' et cetera et cetera."

"You didn't!"

"I did!"

"It sounds like he had far too much patience," Rose informed the Doctor, looking up from her place sprawled across his legs. She squeezed his thigh affectionately, not missing the shudder he gave at her intimate touch.

"He did," she was told, the Doctor's expression suddenly more serious. "He was far too nice, really. Very quiet. But he was good at finding information." His eyes slipped shut as the words spilled from his mouth. It was true; Chuck had been very good at finding information. Almost too good, in fact. Almost, but not quite. That part of the story was yet to come. He took Rose's hand in his and squeezed it, comforting himself as much as her. "He spent the best part of a week helping me navigate around that damn library."

_Chuck helps the Doctor for days on end, bringing him the books he asks for and sometimes ones he hasn't. He has no idea what he is helping the man look for, but it seems that there will be no peace until they find it._

_The man annoys Chuck at first; he's rude, he's loud and he talks far too much, and there doesn't seem to be much coherence in his requests for material to read. He doesn't think he can take much more of it. But then, one dreary afternoon when there are no other patrons in this dusty corner of the huge old library, one of the books Chuck has provided actually seems to be of some use._

_Suddenly the Doctor is on his feet, his hands clutching at his hair and practically pulling it out at the roots as he paces manically back and forth, pausing only to re-read the passage in the book he had been poring over for the past thirty minutes. Eventually he stops, his hands drop to his sides and the first genuinely happy smile that Chuck has seen on him spreads across his face. "Thank you," the Doctor says. "Thank you so much."_

"_Did you find it then?" Chuck asks, placing another new pile of books on the table next to the ones that are already open._

"_No," the Doctor says. "But I found a thing which should help me find a thing that will hopefully help me find the thing that I'm actually looking for. And then when I've found that I'll be able to find what I've been searching for since the very day I lost it."_

_His expression falls then, becomes guarded again, and the melancholy look reappears in the man's eyes. "You all right?" Chuck asks, taking a step forward._

"_No," the Doctor says again. "But I will be, soon. At least I hope I will."_

"_Me too."_

"_Thanks." The Doctor picks up his long beige coat from where he dropped it when he arrived, slotting his arms into the holes and drawing it around his body. "You're good at what you do," he tells Chuck as he prepares to leave._

"_Thanks," Chuck replies, feeling himself blush slightly. He has never handled compliments well._

"_You really helped me," the Doctor says. There is a long and uncomfortable pause then, as neither man really knows what to say. Eventually the Doctor clears his throat and he asks, "I don't suppose you'd care to help me some more?"_

"What did he say?" Rose asked carefully, sitting up to lean against the tree trunk. The Doctor still held her hand in his, squeezing it tightly as though he was afraid she'd disappear if he let her go again.

"He said no, at first." The Doctor frowned, pulling Rose into him so he could rest his cheek against her hair. He turned to press his lips into her head momentarily before shifting back to stare out at the endless expanse of flowers before them, absently naming them all in the back of his mind. Once upon a time he had begun to entertain the idea that this would never come, that he would never again be able to sit with Rose in the middle of nowhere and just _talk_ to her. He had been wondering if it was all a wild goose chase when Chuck had managed to find the book that had resulted in so much hope. He realised that this was the first time he'd actually stopped running since that day. He'd been on the move for so long now, he'd almost forgotten what it was like to be still. He found that it calmed him.

"Only at first?" Rose questioned, tilting her head to look up at the Doctor.

He smiled into her hair. "Yes. I was actually just saying goodbye to him outside the lobby of the library when he changed his mind. I'd resigned myself to going off on yet another mad quest all by myself, when Chuck's superior showed up and started yelling that he hadn't finished restoring Professor MumboJumbo's book in time. I mean, he was _really _mad about it."

"Professor MumboJumbo?"

"He was shouting very loudly, very fast and I couldn't quite catch the name. It sounded pretty similar though."

"I see." Rose grinned, thinking about all the times the Doctor had told her off for not pronouncing things correctly when it turned out he was just as bad himself.

"But anyway, that's not important. What's important is that Chuck's boss was working himself up into a right frenzy, and was more than likely just about to tell the poor guy that he was fired when Chuck tells him that actually, he has another job offer and he's leaving. He walked out the door with me and never looked back."

"He became your companion?"

There was a pause. "Yes." The Doctor had known that it would be hard to tell Rose about the people who'd travelled with him during the time he'd been without her, but he hadn't known that it would hurt this much. It was physically paining him to explain about the man who had taken her place as his sidekick, although his relationship with Chuck had been practically non-existent considering the strength of his bond with Rose. And he felt a need to confirm that bond now, lifting her head from his shoulder and lowering his mouth down onto hers. She resisted him for a moment, obviously battling with her emotions, but then she yielded to him, letting him run his tongue against hers for a few moments before he drew back and rested his forehead against hers. "I never did that with him though," he said.

Rose laughed. "I should hope not!" She kissed the Doctor again, trying to let him know that she was okay with the idea of him taking on new companions after her. She didn't exactly have room to talk, after all; she'd tried to start things up again with Mickey, just to fight the loneliness. She couldn't bear the thought of the Doctor being left on his own. "I'm glad you found someone," she told him honestly, her lips brushing against his.

"Yeah?" he questioned, a brief look of worry passing over his face… as though he had been scared of her reaction.

"Of course," she clarified. She fixed him with a serious look. "I'm glad you weren't alone. You've been alone for too long."

He sighed, her words echoing deep inside him. He pulled her closer, knowing he would never feel alone again as long as she was with him. "Not any more," he told her.

_Chuck turns out to be an okay companion, at first insanely grateful that the Doctor had saved him from the wrath of his now ex-boss. He learns well, and he remembers everything he's told. But he doesn't replace Rose; he could never do that. He doesn't have quite the same energy, and although the Doctor likes the man well enough, he doesn't have the same vivacity that used to fill the TARDIS with so much life. Chuck is, for all intents and purposes, functional. He fills a gap, sorts out a need, is there to help the Doctor out, and on occasions is a pretty good friend when they're in sticky situations. Just like most of his companions have been. Rose is the exception that proves the rule, it seems._

_They visit planet after planet together, always searching. Sometimes they find clues, more often than not they turn up nothing. The Doctor still hasn't told Chuck who or what he is looking for. All the man knows is that if the Doctor is putting this much effort into something, then it must be very important. Especially as the man doesn't really seem to have any permanent fixtures in his life._

_After six weeks or so of madcap, crazy, out of control searching and planet-saving, Chuck is wandering through the corridors of the TARDIS looking for his room. He can't seem to get to grips with the complexities of this place, no matter how long he spends wandering its halls. He finds himself in an area he's never been in before, inexplicably coming to a stop outside a door that appears to be different to all the rest. It has a glow about it, like there is a great deal of energy and life in the room beyond. He raises his hand to the doorknob._

"_Don't go in there," comes the stern voice from behind him._

_Chuck turns to find the Doctor standing a couple of metres away, an unreadable expression on his face. He backs away from the door. "Okay," he says. "Sorry." He knows better than to push these things; there have been a few occasions over the short time he has been travelling with the Doctor when he has had the sense he is pushing the man too far, that he is accidentally prying into some topic or past event that is meant to be left well alone. The frustrating thing is that Chuck suspects that all the things the Doctor is refusing to tell him are related to whatever it is he's looking for._

_But Chuck is smart; he can work things out on his own given enough time. And now he has had time enough and opportunity enough to build up some sort of idea about what the Doctor is looking for to fill the void in his life. Now it's all about finding the right time to call him on it._

The Doctor decided that it was probably best to stop short of telling Rose that he had put a dead-lock seal on the door to her room after he had found Chuck wandering around the corridors that night. There was every chance in the universe that she would think it was sweet of him to protect her privacy like that, but then he also knew that it might make her uncomfortable to know that he was so protective of her. That was something that would be revealed in due course, and not a moment before.

He tightened his arm around her shoulders, reaching out with his free hand to pick a flower from the edge of the grass circle they were sitting in. He twirled it in his fingers and then tucked it into her hair, the pink of the flower standing out proudly against her blonde hair and ivory skin. "Gorgeous," he murmured.

She smiled up at him, innocence written all over her face despite all that she had seen in her short life. The Doctor was overcome with love and affection for the girl in his arms.

"What happened next?" she asked.

He chuffed out a laugh at the memory of the next event in his story; he remembered the night for both good and bad reasons. He had found it hilarious when Chuck had been chatted up by a bright orange inhabitant from the planet Hajignam and the man had turned a rather peculiar shade of puce, but it hadn't been quite so funny later on…

_The Doctor shows the page of manuscript to the barman, pointing out the symbol in the middle of the page that has come to haunt him over the past couple of months. A couple of years ago, he would have done anything to get the words Bad Wolf out of his life but now he would do anything to get them back. He thinks they would maybe help him in tracking down the group behind the mysterious symbol he keeps seeing- the Court of Appeal._

_The barman knows nothing, of course; he thinks the symbol is some sort of old-fashioned graffiti. The Doctor thinks that in some ironic way, he's not really that far from the truth. Just like Bad Wolf… Rose's face flashes in front of his eyes and he doesn't stop thinking about her for the rest of the night._

_Chuck is back with him now, having taken a few moments outside in the cool air to calm himself down after the horrific (yet amusing) experience with the orange alien. He's sitting at the bar, handing the Doctor a drink as he takes a sip of his own._

_The Doctor nods his thanks, keeping his eyes on the smooth wood of the bar. If he looks up he thinks he might start to cry. He can't stop thinking about her tonight. Rose and the Bad Wolf merge into the same being in his mind as he imagines her standing in the doorway to the TARDIS, surrounded by golden light… She'd saved his life then, and he thinks that it is only the memory of her that is keeping him alive now._

"_So," Chuck says, almost conversationally but there is an edge to his voice, the promise of difficult things to come. He puts his glass down on the bar and wipes his hands on his trousers, as though he is nervous. He clears his throat and stares at the Doctor, who still refuses to lift his head to meet the other man's concerned gaze. "Who was she?"_

_The question takes the Doctor off-guard, though he has known to a certain extent that it would have come at some point. It's one of those annoyingly inevitable things that's impossible to stop despite endless efforts to try. And, as much as he wants to, he can't lie to Chuck. "She wasn't anyone," he says, and he knows that this will startle the other man. "There's no 'was' about it. She still __**is**__. She's as important to me now as she was the last time I saw her. She means everything to me. And that's not going to change." He squeezes his eyes shut against the tears that threaten to fall as he speaks at last about the one he lost, the one he lives for and the one he'll die for again and again if he has to._

"_What's her name?" Chuck asks, as though this will help him to know her as the Doctor does._

"_Rose," he says after a pause._

"_And you need to get her back," Chuck says._

"_And I need to get her back," the Doctor agrees._

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	4. Chapter 4

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_Chuck slowly digests the information for a moment. He doesn't look at the Doctor, and the Doctor is frankly grateful for it. He doesn't want to see the pity in the other man's eyes._

_Finally Chuck raises his hand. "Bartender? Another round for us, please."_

"_Never seen you get drunk," the Doctor mutters._

"_First time for everything. And if getting hit on by an orange alien isn't the right occasion, what is?"_

_The Doctor admits that Chuck has a point...and they proceed to get drunk. Smashed, in fact, to the point where the men stagger out of the bar at closing time, their arms thrown around each others' shoulders. Chuck is singing, loudly and off-key. _

_When he finishes the song, the Doctor looks at him and slurs. "Thawasss rilly good."_

"_Thanksh."_

"_Whawerewe doing on this planet again? I forget. Whoops." The Doctor's shoulder thuds against the corner of a building. "Ow." _

"_Youweregonna...um...there...um...library! Thassit. The big library. The one they told us we couldnn visit earlier. Cos we dinn have clearance." _

"_Clearance. Clearance! Right. And there...loss of big guards. Round." _

_Their speech continues to degenerate, but they eventually decide that it is a brilliant idea to go try and break into the library. Right then._

_It turns out to be not so brilliant._

_The breaking-in doesn't turn out to be a problem, once the Doctor forces himself to sober up enough to be able to read the settings on his screwdriver. They even, somehow, manage to evade the security forces, and get in to the library proper. _

_The problem comes when the Doctor discovers he's more sober than Chuck. And that Chuck is rapidly exhausting the mental reserves to focus his attention._

_He leaves the other man giggling, sprawled over a table, while he combs frantically through a catalog, only slightly unsteady on his feet. Chuck's only out of his sight for two minutes. Just two minutes._

_It's enough._

"_Freeze!"_

_He quickly looks around, trying to make the room stop spinning. No one in his sight - therefore they aren't talking to him. Which means..._

_He peeks out around the bulky machinery of the catalog. Sure enough, one of the massive security guards is training a very nasty weapon on Chuck's prone form. Which is continuing to giggle._

"_I can't," the muffled voice complains. "It's not cold enough in here." _

_The Doctor rolls his eyes. A drunk librarian - of course he'd be taking everything literally. _

"_Sir, please stand up and keep your hands in front of you."_

"_No thanks."_

_The security guard sighs. "Oncoron to dispatch. Backup requested, catalog room. Intruder located; non-aggressive, but he's being...uncooperative. Over."_

_The Doctor notices the headset that the guard is wearing for the first time, but can't hear the response. Presumably it's good, for the security man replies, "Thanks, dispatch. Over and out."_

_He pulls out the sonic screwdriver, fiddling with the settings. Faint light from the catalog computers makes his task a little easier, and when he turns it on, the desired result is achieved. A squeal of feedback rips through the air, and the security guard curses, letting his weapon drop and turning away from Chuck for a few precious seconds. It's all the Doctor needs._

_In a display of speed that nearly defies the laws of physics, and definitely defies the laws of drunkenness, he shoots out from behind the catalog and grabs Chuck by the hand, hauling him off the table and back behind the computers._

_The security guard sees the motion and turns, cursing again, fiddling with his headset, which the Doctor - by means of the feedback - has conveniently shorted out. It's bought them some time, and he drags Chuck deeper into the catalog stacks._

_The librarian has regained some sensibility. "Knew you'd get me," he slurs. At least it's an improvement from the giggling._

"_Hush," the Doctor whispers. "I've got to figure out a way to get out of here."_

"_Back more. To the left. Exit door - stairwell," Chuck mumbles. The Doctor stares at him._

"_How do you know?"_

"_Racial talent," is the answer. "Finding ways around buildings of info...forma...stuff. You know."_

"_Right," the Doctor mutters. He's already following Chuck's directions, with the librarian shambling along. "You're a Bibliophile. Why didn't you tell me this before?" _

"_Didn't ask."_

"_Of course I didn't." The Doctor resolves to develop an interview and application process for his companions from now on. "Which way?" _

_They have reached the stairwell undetected. "Depends. You want to leave or find what you were looking for?"_

_The Doctor, again, stares at him. "How can we do that without the catalog?"_

"_Told you. Find my way around. What were you looking for?"_

_It seems somehow fitting that here, drunk in a stairwell hiding from the library's security, is where the Doctor finally tells Chuck what he's been looking for. "The Court of Appeals."_

_Chuck's eyes glaze over. "Which one?"_

"_The legendary one."_

_The man's face goes slack. The Doctor has never seen this happen before - his only guess is that Chuck's managed to do this when he wasn't around. Either that, or he might be able to hide the effect, and just doesn't care at the moment. The Doctor, after all, doesn't know a whole lot about the Bibliophiles..._

"_I found it." Chuck blinks, his face re-animating and his eyes clearing. "But we're going to have to do a little more breaking and entering."_

The Doctor paused for breath, looking out at the horizon. "I should say, I _didn't_ know a lot about the Bibliophiles. After Chuck...well. After him, I looked into his people a little more."

"And?"

"They're a fascinating species. They've got the ability to psychically navigate around any sort of structure where there's a large concentration of books present...so libraries, universities, that sort of thing. They understand the layout of the building based on where the books _aren't_...and they can also search the books. Every one of them."

"So that's how Chuck knew where the one book on the Court was? Even without the catalog?"

"Precisely." The Doctor frowned. "It might have sped things along a bit if I'd known what Chuck was...but the Bibliophiles are a shy race, after all. Probably comes from being buried in libraries all the time."

Rose lightly ran her fingers along his arm, hesitant to say what was in her thoughts. "Maybe...maybe you should have told him what you were looking for earlier, too."

He nodded slowly. "You're right. I realized that afterwards. It's a mistake I don't intend to make again."

_They make it to the top floor storage room without encountering any of the guards. The Doctor is suspicious...but desire for the information, hope that this might be the next in the series of clues, overrides all of his better instincts._

_The screwdriver makes an easy job of opening the storage cage. He recognizes some of the books in here; most of them that he knows are banned on a great number of worlds. These are dangerous books. _

_Chuck walks ahead of him. He stops at the end of one of the rows. "Here. This one."_

_The Doctor grabs the book from Chuck's hands. "Let's get out of here."_

"_Freeze."_

_He doesn't react. Chuck does it for him, shoving the Doctor behind him out of sight. The Doctor huddles behind the bookshelf, stowing the precious book inside his coat. He flattens himself against the wood, craning his neck to try and see what's happening._

"_Don't I know you?" Chuck's voice is steady. _

"_Oh my goodness," he hears. Presumably this is the security guard speaking. The voice sounds familiar...and in a moment, he understands why. "It's you. From the bar, right?"_

"_Yeah. Sorry about that, earlier..." There is the rustle of fabric. "I don't get out much."_

_He can see it clearly; Chuck, standing bashfully, hands shoved in his pockets. The giant orange alien security guard, distracted at seeing the very man he'd been attempting to chat up. The perfect escape route. Everything is falling into place._

_He begins to edge out, hearing Chuck talking to the guard, apologizing again for reacting so rudely earlier. Creeping carefully along the bookshelf. The door is close...so close._

_He hears the guard tell the backup to stand down, it's all right, just a harmless tipsy Bibliophile wandering around in search of something familiar. The Doctor wonders if this happens in libraries often. _

_He's out. And then something most unfortunate happens. _

_His pocket rips._

_The inside pocket. The one the book is in. He feels it rip, feels the fabric let go. Feels the book hit his chest on the way down and slam into the floor. Well, it's a heavy book after all._

_The guard's attention instantly is drawn to him. "Who's there? Halt!"_

"_I'm sorry," he says calmly. "Afraid I can't do that." He can't, after all. Too much explaining to do. Too much wasted time. He leans down to pick up the book._

"_I said halt!"_

"_And I said no." The book is back in his hand. He holds on to it this time._

"_This is your last warning: Drop the book and put your hands on your head."_

_The Doctor sighs. "Why does no one listen to me?"_

_The guard shoots. _

_A crackle of energy lances out from the weapon, and the Doctor winces. But instead of hitting him, it hits...Chuck?_

_Chuck. Who had been moving stealthily out from the cage when the guard's attention had shifted. Now perfectly positioned to dive in front of the Doctor when the shot was fired. And the Doctor had missed it. _

_Chuck falls to the ground, smoke rising from his charred clothes. The setting on that weapon must have been rather high. It's obvious he's got seconds at best. His head falls back, and he manages to look at the Doctor, who stares at him, horrified._

"_Good luck," the librarian whispers. His eyes close._

"That's it? He just...died?"

"He died to save me." The Doctor's voice had gone to a monotone near the end of the story. "He died so that I could keep going on. I'd told him about the regeneration thing - another mistake I wasn't going to make again - but he still did it. He still died for me."

"What'd you do then?"

"Ran back to the TARDIS fast as I could and got off the planet. D'you know, you humans are the messiest lot? First thing I found when I got back in was Chuck's coat on the railing." He sniffed. "Depressing, that."

"Must be a companion thing." Rose smiled. "So after that, did you..." She waved a hand at the TARDIS in the distance.

"Nope! Got a lot more to go before we get to them." He tweaked her nose again. "But I think it's time for you to talk a little bit."

"Me? What, you want to hear about all the monsters I beat up while I was working for Torchwood?"

"Nope. Did plenty of that myself. No, Rose Tyler, what I want to hear about is..." He grimaced, shaking his head. "You. And Mickey the Idiot. What were you _thinking?"_

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**A/N:** Woo, Rose and Mickey's comical disaster in the next chapter! That should be up on Monday. Please review! We'll love you forever.


	5. Chapter 5

Rose felt her stomach turn over as the Doctor fixed her with a piercing stare. He was clearly serious about wanting to know the whole story of what had happened between her and Mickey on the parallel Earth. There were plenty of far more interesting and noteworthy stories she could think of to tell him about her time there- the time she got trapped in a lift with a very strange alien and ended up wedged in a ventilation shaft, for example- but it seemed that neither her story or the Doctor's would be moving any further until they'd got the issue of Mickey out of the way.

"Um," she started hesitantly. "Bit of a disaster really. But quite funny looking back on it. We laughed about it afterwards. Just as well Mickey has a sense of humour- I don't think I was the best company he could think of." She shifted uncomfortably as the Doctor sat back from her, leaning against the tree trunk and watching her intently. She tucked her hair behind her ear and smirked to herself as she realised that the Doctor was jealous. Of Mickey. She'd never thought she'd see the day.

"Go on," he told her after a few minutes of silence.

She nodded, deciding that the best route was probably just to start talking and get this over with as quickly as possible. And keep a mental note of all of the Doctor's reactions, of course. She was planning on having a lot of fun teasing him about his ex-boyfriend-envy later. "So, we'd been back from Norway about a month I guess," she started. "I'd just started working at Torchwood and Mum was four months pregnant. I hadn't seen you properly for almost six months, and I was missing you like crazy."

The Doctor's expression softened and he reached out to wrap a hand around hers, squeezing comfortingly. Rose knew that he could easily identify with the feelings she was describing.

"I was lonely," she told him. "And I felt bad about it because there I was with the family I always wanted. But I didn't feel right there, in that world. I wanted you there more than anything. And then one day…"

_She comes home from work with her sort-of Dad, just like she has every day for the past week. There's a an empty pang making itself known in her stomach, and the same thoughts are swimming around in her head that have been there ever since she knew she was going to work for Torchwood. She feels that by moving on and making a life for herself here in this world, she is giving up on him. Granted, her job isn't exactly what she would call ordinary, but by getting up and going to work every morning before coming home for tea and sleep she feels as though she has closed a door on that part of her life. She is scared that if something doesn't change soon she will actually begin to accept the fact that there's a chance he's never going to come back. And she doesn't want that to happen._

_The emotions overtake her and she locks herself away in her room before anyone can see her break down. They've seen enough of that from her over the last few months. She flops down on the bed, kicking off her shoes and squeezing her eyes shut in an effort to stave off the tears. She doesn't want to cry anymore. She doesn't want to be lonely or sad. She wants to get out there, save the world and be happy in the way that she knows he would want her to. But she just can't bring herself to let go of him. She can't let go of the tiny spark of hope that flares inside her every time she thinks of all the amazing things he has done, all of the things that were supposed to be impossible but he made happen anyway._

_The hours pass and yet she still doesn't move. Her mother shouts her for dinner at least three times but she stays and stares at the ceiling. It's a Friday night; there's no need for her to be anywhere or do anything. And so she takes the chance to do nothing, letting her thoughts run amok inside her head as she contemplates all the possibilities she currently has open to her._

_For a few moments, staying in her room and lying on her bed seems like the most attractive option before she realises that isn't her at all. That isn't what Rose Tyler does. She doesn't back down from a challenge, and she doesn't give up when life deals her a blow. She keeps on living, keeps on fighting and never, ever loses faith. He taught her that. The Doctor. He's the one who taught her that she can't just waste her life waiting for something that may or may not happen. She has to go out and make it happen for herself. And so she decides to conduct an experiment, just to prove that she can._

"Wait a minute, you decided that you needed to get yourself a man just so you could prove me right?"

She giggled. "Yeah. So really, Doctor, it's all your fault that I went out with Mickey again. If you hadn't convinced me that I was such a fighter and that I could deal with any situation I put my mind to, I never would have done it."

He looked at her, affection and understanding in his eyes. "But did you want to go out with him?"

Rose shrugged. "I dunno. I mean, if I had never met you then I'd probably still be with him, but…" She trailed off.

Her words stung, even though he knew that it was the truth. He couldn't be mad at her for having a life before she knew him, or for trying to have one when she thought she'd lost him forever. He'd done the same thing, after all. "But?" he prompted when she failed to say anymore.

"I just didn't want to be lonely," she said quietly. Then she giggled at some memory or other and raised her voice when she spoke again. "And so I regressed back to my teenage years and started pursuing him again."

_Rose knows that what she is doing is wrong on so many levels, but she and Mickey did used to have a lot of fun together, and she can't think of any other person in this particular universe she would willingly try to have a relationship with at this point in her life. And so she pulls out her old flirting tactics, brushing up on her seduction skills in front of the mirror and hoping that they're just as effective as they were when she and Mickey first started dating all those years ago._

_She starts to leave the top couple of buttons on her blouse undone when he's around, smiles at him more and touches him when she gets the opportunity. She gets a few strange looks from her mum when she tells Mickey he's looking gorgeous even though he's wearing jeans with a massive hole where the back pocket used to be, but he seems to be flattered. "Thanks," he tells her with a smile, then he frowns. "You feeling all right, babe?"_

_She knows she's flushing bright red, something she hasn't done for a while, at least not for the reason she is now. But she smiles and nods before dashing away and making her escape to the living room. She wasn't expecting Mickey to follow her. She spins round in the middle of the room to find him standing right in front of her. The door is closed. "Hi," she says, surprised._

"_Hey yourself," he replies. He shifts on the spot. "Rose, can we talk?"_

The Doctor laughed. "You mean you actually managed to get him to come to you?" He pulled her into him and pressed a kiss into her hair. "Well, I have to say Rose Tyler- I knew you were good, but I didn't know you were that good! That's a pretty impressive response for what can only be described as a pretty piss-poor attempt at flirting!"

"Hey!" she exclaimed, pulling back and bopping him on the arm. She pulled a face as the Doctor groaned in mock pain before conceding to him and sighing. "Yeah," she said. "It was pretty bad." She laughed at her own daftness. "I was a bit out of practice."

_Five minutes later and they're sitting side by side on a large plush sofa. Mickey is tapping his foot on the floor distractedly and Rose is drumming her fingers against her leg, waiting for him to say something. All they have done so far is make small-talk about work and the weather and politics. She knows that this can't be what he wanted to talk to her about. She gathers her courage up to say something and clears her throat. "Look-"_

"_Rose," he says at the same time. She nods to let him continue. He smiles gratefully. "I know it's been pretty hard recently, and I know you're not exactly happy here."_

"_That's not-" she tries to intercept._

"_No, let me say this," he says. _

_She settles back into the cushions and turns to face him properly, her head against the squashy back of the sofa._

"_I know this is by no means an ideal situation for you, for lots of reasons. And I know you're probably feeling really low and confused right now, but…"_

"_But?" she prompts him._

_He takes a deep breath and gives her that smile she loved so much when they were going out as naïve teenagers. "Rose, I've been wondering…" He trails off again and his breath hitches in his throat._

_She feels heat rise up inside her. "Yeah, I've been wondering too," she breathes._

"_You have?" He sounds a bit surprised._

_She surprises herself then with how convincing she sounds when she replies, "Yeah. I have."_

"_Great," he says. "That's… good, then."_

Rose sighed and suppressed a giggle at the look of wounded male pride on the Doctor's face. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," he replied, his voice a lot higher than normal. Somehow she wasn't convinced. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm _completely_ fine with the fact that you managed to woo Mr Mickey once again without even having to do anything. And I'm even more thrilled with the fact that he was so eager to go out with you even though you were a big fat mess without me there!"

She laughed then, knowing that he was teasing her even though he was obviously jealous. "Awww, you big softie," she said, kneeling up and pulling him against her. She held his head against her chest and stroked his hair, wondering how she had ever managed to survive without this man in her life. "He was a poor substitute compared to you."

He pulled back and smiled up at her, his arms sliding around her waist as he pulled her down for a kiss. "I should think so too," he mumbled against her mouth. Then he sat back, taking her with him once more with an arm around her shoulders. "So go on then, Tyler," he told her. "Tell me how the big date went."

"Disaster," she replied dryly.

_A week later, Rose is walking into a restaurant with Mickey by her side. This place is a whole lot nicer than the places they used to go to back on her Earth, and she still can't get used to the feeling that this is her life now. She isn't used to having money._

_The atmosphere is slightly awkward as they look at their menus, neither of them entirely sure of what to say. They haven't really discussed the fact that this is a date, and so they are both hesitant about how far this is going to go. After much deliberation, Rose had decided that if she was going to go on a date to prove to herself she could still make things happen for herself, she might as well go the whole hog. She had shaved her legs, spent some time on her make-up and, just in case, had put on some nice underwear. Not that she was expecting that to be an issue, but she'd decided to prepare for all eventualities just the same._

_They fumble and small-talk their way through dinner. Rose can't tell if Mickey's having a good time or not, but he does seem to be getting through rather a lot of alcohol. She stops herself after two glasses of wine, wanting to keep some kind of handle on the situation. She doesn't think it would be possible to have a more calamitous date than this._

_By the end of the evening, there are three empty wine bottles on their table as well as a couple of empty glasses that had held some kind of liqueur until Mickey had downed them both in one. Rose is starting to think that maybe he's just trying to prove a point as well, like she is with him. Although she's not entirely sure what his point is. That he can't hold his alcohol as well as he'd like, perhaps? It seems plausible, what with the way he's just upended one of the wine bottles into the ice bucket by the table and has sent another one rolling across the floor and into the middle of the dance floor. _

_Rose thinks it might be time to leave._

"Oh come on, Rose, that isn't that bad!" the Doctor told her. "In fact, it sounds pretty in-character for Mickey."

She shook her head at him. "The restaurant was nothing compared to when we got home," she said.

The Doctor practically laughed in delight. "Oh, do tell!" he exclaimed.

_Mickey walks Rose to the front door of the Tyler mansion, his eyes fixed on his feet as he attempts to stay upright. He never functions very well when he's drunk. "Well, here we are," he says at the door._

_Rose frowns at him. "Mickey, you are aware you're living here too at the moment? The paperwork hasn't gone through on your flat yet, remember?"_

_He shrugs at her._

"_Do you know who you are?" she asks teasingly. "Do you know what planet this is?"_

"_It's not yours," he says and then immediately slaps his hand over his mouth. "God, Rose, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to remind you. I wanted to make you forget."_

"_I know," she tells him. "It's okay." She shivers and gets her keys out of her purse, thinking it might be a good time to go inside. _

"_Rose," he stops her with a hand on her arm. He steps closer to her. "Goodnight kiss?"_

_She frowns. "Aren't you coming in?"_

"_Well, yeah, but…" He tilts his head. "Tradition, y'know?"_

_She nods. "I know."_

_He moves his head closer to hers and she can smell the alcohol on his breath. She closes her eyes, tells herself to pretend it's the Doctor. Tells herself that it's the Doctor leaning towards her, one hand on her face and the other on her arm. It's the Doctor who reeks of white wine and garlic, whose mouth is only a couple of centimetres away from hers…_

There was silence in the field of flowers as Rose stopped talking and the Doctor didn't say anything in response. A light breeze blew and ruffled the leaves of the tree they were leaning against. She pressed herself closer to him.

"You kissed him," he said eventually, obviously trying to keep the jealous tone out of his voice.

"No," she said. "He kissed the door."

"What?" The Doctor didn't quite manage to keep the chuckle of laughter inside at her words, instead snorting in amusement.

Rose laughed with him. "He tripped," she said. "Somehow got himself in a tangle and slammed into the door. Bit his lip and passed out. It was a right nightmare getting him inside and onto the sofa."

The Doctor hesitated. "So, nothing happened then?" he inquired, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. He tightened his grip on Rose, not-so-subtly reminding her that she was his.

"No, nothing," she assured him. "We agreed that it was probably best to leave it at just the one disastrous date. Any more than that and it would have been embarrassing."

_He finds her the next day, finishing up some paperwork that she needs to get sorted before work tomorrow. He knocks as he enters the room, and then comes to sit on her desk. "Rose," he starts._

_She looks up at him, trying not to smile at the fact he's looking a little worse for wear this morning from all the alcohol last night. "Hey," she says. "How are you feeling?"_

_He laughs in response and then winces as the jarring upsets his head. "Been better," he replies._

_She nods. "Me too."_

"_I know." He shifts uncomfortably where he sits, fiddling with the stuff on her desk. "Listen, Rose, please don't… Please don't take this to be a bad thing, but… Last night was fun, and it was great to be out with you again, but…"_

"_It didn't feel like a date should," she finishes for him._

"_Exactly," he says. "And the last thing I want to do is end up involved in something neither of us is happy with, so…"_

_She nods and sighs. "I know," she says. She puts her hand on his knee and grins at him. "We tried."_

_He smiles back. "Yeah, we tried," he replies. "No hard feelings?"_

"_Nope."_

_He reaches down and pulls her into a hug. There's no hidden meaning behind it; just a friend giving another friend some comfort. Nothing romantic there at all, even though there used to be once, long ago. "I guess things change," he says._

_She's quiet for a long time before she replies, instead just resting her head against his shoulder and soaking up the feeling of being held again after so long. She just wishes that it was someone else with his arms around her instead. "Not everything changes," she says eventually._

Rose sat now with the man whose touch she had wanted more than anything while she was in the parallel universe. She wrapped her arms around his torso, smiling as hugged her back and feathered kisses over her forehead. "I felt bad for trying to start things up again with Mickey," she said. "It felt like I was betraying both of you at the same time, but I think I needed it."

The Doctor's nose nuzzled her hair. "How so?" he asked.

"It made me realise that I could still manage to live a life in that world, even though I didn't really belong there. And it also made me realise that no matter what else might happen, I could never give up hoping that you might be able to come back. Because I needed you, Doctor." Her voice choked as she continued talking, and she buried her face in his jacket, breathing in the scent of him. "I could live on parallel Earth and go to work and be with my family and be happy, but I realised I'd never really be home unless I was with you. And no matter what Mickey could offer me, he never would have compared to you. Because…" She lifted her head and looked at him, needing to see his face while she said this. "Because I love you."

He smiled, his hearts thumping just that little bit harder at her words. "I love you too," he whispered before kissing her as though to prove his point. "And thank you for telling me that story."

"You're welcome."

The atmosphere shifted slightly then and a shadow passed over where they were sitting. "Rose," the Doctor said, a strange note in his voice.

"Doctor." She glanced back over to the TARDIS, wondering how long they'd been gone, wondering if they'd been missed yet. Surely they'd have noticed by now…

"I need to show you something," he told her seriously. "And you won't like it, but you need to know."

"Okay," she replied uncertainly, unable to discern anything from his expression. "What is it?"

He extracted himself from her embrace and jumped to his feet, holding his hand out to help her up. She grasped it and stood by his side, wondering what he could need to show her so urgently that would make his mood swing like this. "It's this way," he said.

She followed him through the field of flowers, moving further away from the TARDIS. They walked for at least ten minutes in silence before they came abreast of a small incline. Looking down the gentle slope, Rose could see a pathway through the flowers that ended in a little clearing with grass and something in the middle of it. It looked like it was made out of stone. "What is it?" she asked, looking up at the Doctor to find his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as though he might cry at any moment.

He tore his gaze away from the sight in front of them to look at her, his eyes full of unshed tears. His voice was rough and raw when he spoke. "It's your grave," he told her quietly.

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**A/N: **We'll give you chocolate and hugs with the Doctor if you review and tell us what you think! Go on, you know you want to... :) Next update will be Friday. xx


	6. Chapter 6

Rose took it all in in silence.

He'd chosen a black stone flecked with silver, and the stone had been shaped into a blooming rose, lying sideways on a rough rectangle. A silver plaque was attached to the base of the stone, and she hunkered down to read it.

"Rose Tyler. So alive."

"It was something Donna asked me, when I was madly trying to pilot the TARDIS along a speeding freeway. She asked if you were dead. And I said that you weren't. That you were so alive. I thought it was...fitting."

"Think you're right," she answered, standing up and brushing off her jeans. "But, Doctor...why'd you do this?"

He sighed, stuffing his hands in his suit pockets - the beloved gesture of familiarity that at the moment she didn't think she'd ever get tired of seeing. "I needed somewhere to come."

"I thought that was here? This planet, this place?"

"It was," he murmured. "But after Chuck...after I was alone again...the planet wasn't enough any more. So I had this made, and put here...and then I could come here and stand. Talk to you, even. No matter that "you" was a rock...it just felt a bit less silly than me wandering around the flowers talking to myself, saying, 'Rose, you'll never believe the alien I met today.' I got to fool myself into thinking that somehow you could hear me."

She sighed. "You're right. I don't like it."

"Didn't think you would."

Their attention was caught by the sound of a yelp. The two of them glanced at each other, then charged back up the slope.

They came abreast of the hill just in time to see two tiny figures racing out of the TARDIS, circling around the box and heading in the opposite direction from the Doctor and Rose. Two tones of faint laughter - one feminine, one masculine - carried over the distance.

As they watched, the second figure caught up to the first, and they tumbled together into the flowers, disappearing from view.

Rose looked up at the Doctor, catching a wry smile on his face. "I guess that answers that question...whether they're missing us or not..."

"Yeah...ah. I think that's a definite no. Which is good, because there's much more story to tell." The Doctor gestured behind him. "Do you want to sit here? Or go back?"

Rose glanced again at the stone marker with her name on it. It was beautiful, there was no question...and yet a shiver crawled up her spine. "Let's go back to where we were. This is a little creepy."

_The TARDIS floats in space as the Doctor pores over the pages of the book. The book that Chuck had given his life for._

_Somehow, he'd thought that there might be something more worthwhile inside. If the book was worth dying for, then...but no. Just another scrap of a legend, another fragment of a clue. No different, in essence, than anything else they have found._

_He puts the book aside, standing and setting the controls for one of the great universities. He doesn't want to be alone - there has to be someone with him on his quest. Research has never been his forte; he's always been more into the idea of knowing everything already and bluffing his way through anything else. _

_He storms through the buildings of the university, his hands full of papers, and tacks one up on every surface he sees. _

"_Wanted: Research assistant. Ample opportunity for travel. Inquire at blue police box, north end of campus."_

_By the end of the day there is a small queue of nervous-looking students in front of the TARDIS. The queue might have been bigger...after all, how many students can actually afford to travel?...but something about the posters was a little off-putting. Like the person who wrote them might be just slightly mad._

_He speaks to each student, one by one. None of them suit him, and he makes excuses: this one too loud, this one too quiet. This one sniffles incessantly, and he knows that will drive him bonkers very quickly._

_This one. A woman. Too...blonde. _

_She was the last one. As her impish smile disappears around the door of the TARDIS, he stands, and sighs. It was a stupid idea anyway._

_There is another knock at the door. The knock is shy, hesitant. He pictures the hand behind the knock: a long, thin hand. Pale from being inside too much. Fingers long and slender, good for turning pages and holding pencils._

"_Come in."_

_The man is gawky and tall. Taller than him, or any of his other incarnations. Stick thin, shoved into a suit, his bony elbows and knees poking at sleeves and trouser legs. A shock of wild black hair above, yes, a pale face. _

"_Are you still doing interviews? I'm sorry, I had to teach a late class..." The young man's voice is soft and reedy. _

"_The position is still available," the Doctor replies neutrally. "Have a seat."_

_The student reminds him of Chuck. Top-notch grades, obviously brilliant...and shy, painfully shy. His pant legs darken gradually as he wipes sweaty palms on them, over and over again. He is the perfect research assistant, happier in the company of books and periodicals than in that of living beings._

_He will do._

"_Do you have any questions?" the Doctor asks finally. The interview has ended and the Doctor is satisfied. This one will be no trouble._

"_Just one. When do we leave?"_

"_Soon as you can get packed." He extends a hand. "Welcome to the TARDIS, Andy."_

"Andy?" Rose laughed. "You do have a knack for picking the oddest names..."

"Hmm, yes I do. I've had an Ace, a Grace, a Leela, a Tegan, a Turlough..."He grinned. "Like the simple ones best though. Like Rose." He squeezed her hand. "So then we were off, me and Andy."

_Andy commandeers a room of the TARDIS as a research room. The Doctor soundproofs it for him and adds shelves, computers, huge desks to spread the books on. Andy hides in the research, carefully cataloguing all of the material which the Doctor brings him._

_From time to time they take a break, Andy shyly offering opinions on things he wants to see, places he wants to go. Sadly, the Doctor realizes that he'd never let Chuck choose somewhere to go, and he attempts to compensate for it with Andy. _

"Where did Andy want to go?"

"Historical places. Things he'd read about and imagined. Battles, mostly; he had a thing for violence. Some people, you just never know, eh?"

_The time passes. They find more books, more scraps of legend, all joining the painstaking compilations which Andy is assembling. He scans the books, the scrolls, extracting all the useful information and organizing it, as the Doctor tears across time and space seeking out the legends. _

_One day they return to Andy's university. Andy walks into his advisor's office and dumps a ream of paper on the poor man's desk. A week later they leave, Andy with a shiny new doctorate._

"_We're both Doctors now," Andy says softly, as the Doctor pilots the TARDIS away. The two Doctors, he muses. Somehow it makes him feel less lonely._

_More time passes. More journeys. More work. _

_One day he is shocked to notice that there are threads of grey in Andy's black hair, and that the lines on his face...the furrows in his brow as he bends over a book, a pencil eraser jammed securely in the corner of his mouth...do not fade when the face relaxes._

_How long has it been for this poor human? He has no idea._

"Years," the Doctor said softly. "Years of his life, he gave me. I felt awful."

"You gave him what made him happy. He got to travel and do research...you said he was happier with the books, yeah? He got to see all those battles he'd read about..." Rose trailed off.

The Doctor was staring at their entwined hands. He sighed. "You asked how long it was for me."

"I did."

He didn't speak for a long time. Finally, "I had to take the slow path."

"I know."

"When we originally popped into the parallel universe, we were ten years on from the beach. Overshot a bit." He grinned bleakly. "The old girl didn't like hopping around in time, there. Took all we had to get closer."

"Doctor..."

He carried on, seeming unable to stop. "I asked Jack how long it had been for him. You know what he told me?"

"How long?"

"Two hundred years, he said. Give or take some."

Rose caught her breath. She hadn't known that. "Two...two hundred? Years?"

"'S'right."

"Poor Jack," she breathed. "And poor you."

"I don't know how long it was for me. Less than two hundred. Twenty years? Thirty? Fifty? That's Earth years, you know. If we talk in, say, Walla-Walla years, it'd be something more like fifty thousand. Tiny little planet, orbits its sun every ten Earth minutes. Fascinating people, the Walla-Wallans."

Rose chose her next words carefully. "We all had to take the slow path."

"Too right."

_The day he notices the grey in Andy's hair is the day that everything changes._

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**A/N: **See you all Monday!! Hope you enjoyed; please review ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Because I'm dim, I thought it was Thursday yesterday and thus didn't post the new chapter. But obviously, it's now Tuesday, so yesterday was really not in any way Thursday. I blame exam stress for the confusion, and the fact that my calendar is on the wrong month. Sorry!!!

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"So what happened?" Rose asked, a frown creasing her brow as she hung intently on the Doctor's every word.

He was quiet for a long time, staring down at their entwined hands and running his thumb over her soft skin. He let his eyes slip closed as he contemplated how to answer her question. They kept walking back towards the huge spindly old tree, his feet carrying him there without him even having to see where he was going.

Rose turned to look up at the Doctor as they came to a stop next to the tree. "Doctor," she said when it became clear he wasn't going to answer her any time soon.

"Mmm," he replied, opening his eyes to watch her.

She shifted somewhat nervously. "I… I have to ask," she told him.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Ask away," he encouraged.

"Why did you look so hard? Why did you spend so long looking for me? Whatever happened to you having to go on alone?" She looked down at the ground, almost afraid to hear his answer. Inexplicable tears welled up behind her eyes.

He reached out and tilted her chin back up to make her meet his gaze. "Rose," he said when she tried to look away again. He smiled softly when her gaze returned to his. "I had to," he told her. "I tried to tell myself that I could do it without you, that it was better off that way. But I couldn't, and it wasn't. I saw you every time I closed my eyes, I heard you speak to me even though you were nowhere around. I wanted you." He grasped both of her hands in his, stepping so close to her that their chests brushed against each other as they breathed. "It's selfish of me," he continued. "But I couldn't bear to be without you. You balance me, Rose. You challenge me. You make me whole." He paused as he felt tears prick the back of his eyes. "And without you there… It felt like a part of me was missing. And I knew that I needed to get you back to complete me again."

"But you searched so hard! For so long."

"It gave me something to focus on. It filled the days until I could have you with me again."

Rose smiled, obviously pleased with his answer. "I'm glad you found the way," she told him.

"Me too," he told her as he pulled her down to sit with him once more, his arm automatically wrapping around her to draw her to him. It still amazed him how natural it felt to have her here with him like this.

"So," she said. "What happened with Andy?"

_The Doctor stands in the doorway, watching intently as Andy turns pages in books, occasionally stopping to make a note on the pad in front of him. It amazes him how much concentration this man has, how hard he is willing to search for something that has nothing to do with him in any way at all. It amazes him how he can clear his throat and Andy doesn't notice. It worries him that he can cough three times and the man still doesn't look up. It occurs to the Doctor that Andy's hearing is probably starting to decline as he ages. _

_And he has aged._

"_Andy," he says._

_No response._

_The Doctor walks across the floor of Andy's research room, raising a hand to lay it on the other man's shoulder. He finally looks up._

"_Oh," Andy says, finally realising there is someone there with him._

"_You okay?" the Doctor asks, his question carrying a weighted undertone._

_Andy nods. "Of course. Actually, I was just thinking about coming to find you. I found this." He lifts up the book he was reading from, showing the Doctor a diagram._

_He frowns. "What is it?" The diagram shows the universe, galaxies portrayed as a single dot in the immense vastness of space. There is an inward curve on the left side, the right side of the picture apparently stretching out into infinity. There is a dull blank space towards the top of the strange curve, blackness that tells the Doctor no life could exist there. It's too far from the centre of the universe._

_Andy points at the blank spot. "I think that's where the Court is."_

The Doctor paused in his story and smiled fondly in memory of the man who had helped him so much. "He was a genius," he said seriously.

Rose looked up at him expectantly. "So, Andy was right then?"

The Doctor laughed. "Oh, he was more right than he'll ever know."

She frowned. "What?"

_The Doctor waits until Andy has gone to bed to sleep for a while before he studies the diagram again. It's all falling into place now. Checking to make sure he is alone in the library- old habits die hard, he knows- he takes out a hand held mirror and places it along the edge of the diagram, at the edges of the curve. _

_The image is reflected in the mirror, making the curve appear as a perfect sphere. "The void," he whispers as though he is afraid someone might overhear him._

_The blank spot is also reflected in the mirror. He brushes his hand over the page, tracing the galaxies with one finger. "Parallel," he says just as quietly. "Genius." And then, because he is a genius, he scans the page until he finds the tiny dot that represents the Milky Way galaxy. When he finds it he shuts his eyes, imagines that he is flying down through the stars to one star in particular. He finds that star in his mind, and then continues on through its solar system until he reaches the third planet. Earth. And then he imagines the parallel Earth, in the same place but not, and he smiles. _

"_Almost."_

"Doctor," Rose said.

He looked down at her. "What?"

"Stop avoiding the question," she told him. "You said that Andy was more right than he'll know. Why?"

He sighed. "Because, Rose," he said quietly. "I did a bad thing."

_The next day, the Doctor tells Andy to pack a bag. He tells him he's taking him for a break somewhere before they follow up on the diagram Andy had found the day before. As ever, the man never questions him, and approximately half an hour later they find themselves leaving the TARDIS to spend a few days on the rather lovely planet of Eldon Major._

_And indeed, they do spend a few nice days seeing the sights and generally relaxing on this planet thought to be one of the best and most peaceful planets anywhere in the universe. Andy loves it immediately; the planets' inhabitants are all very knowledgeable, and there are a vast number of libraries and museums here. So much potential for learning._

_The Doctor's hearts pound madly in his chest the entire time they are there. He forces a smile onto his face and makes himself inform Andy of all the customs and the culture, tells him about the currency of the planet and how it is a punishable offence to speak ill of literature. Not that Andy ever would, of course. The Doctor tells him about the beaches and the best restaurants to go to, as well as the areas that should be avoided. Andy soaks it all up. He doesn't suspect anything._

_As the sky darkens at the end of the third day, the Doctor makes his excuses and tells Andy that he has to go and fix something on the TARDIS before they leave tomorrow. He smiles at the man as he leaves their hotel suite, giving him a little wave as he inconspicuously slips a note and a credit stick into Andy's open duffel bag. He leaves the room._

_Fifteen minutes later and the Doctor is back at the TARDIS, palms sweating and his head throbbing. He feels like a Grade A bastard for what he has just done. It's all he can do to stop himself trembling as he starts the dematerialisation sequence, pulling levers and pushing buttons with a new trepidation in his touch. He hasn't felt this guilty in a good long time. The TARDIS rumbles in his mind, letting him know that she is not currently all that happy with her master for what he has just done._

_The TARDIS disappears from the planet, taking the Doctor far away. It will be twelve hours before Andy realises that the Doctor isn't going to come back. It will take him the rest of his life to come to terms with the fact that he was left behind._

Rose sat and stared at the Doctor. She pulled back out of his embrace and shuffled further away when he tried to reach for her again. "You just… You just _left_ him?" she asked, incredulous.

He hung his head. "Yes," he replied. "I couldn't bear the thought of him not being able to live what he had left of his life. It wouldn't have been fair to keep him travelling with me. He needed to start living his own life, not just helping me to get mine back."

"You should have told him," Rose said, her stomach churning and tears clogging her throat. The implications of what the Doctor had just said made her blood run cold. Her eyes slipped shut. "It wasn't fair of you. In fact Doctor, I think I'd say it was just plain cruel."

He took a deep breath, and his voice was shaky when he spoke. Rose didn't know if it was with anger or sorrow. "I did what I had to do," he told her.

She laughed sardonically. "You just dumped him on a planet to die! You left him there and took off like you always do." She opened her eyes and glared at him.

He glared right back. "He was ageing, Rose," he said. "He was dying. It wasn't right that he died with me. Especially after what happened with Chuck, I just couldn't do it again. I couldn't let someone else die because of me! Y'know, I would have thought that, of all people, _you_ would have understood that."

Rose stood up, turning her back on him. She didn't want him to see her cry. Not like this. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. "Yeah, I guess I should, shouldn't I?" she said. "After all, I'm going to age as well one day, aren't I?"

The Doctor's hearts plummeted. "Rose," he started, but she cut him off.

"You just gonna leave me then, Doctor? Like you did with Andy?"

He shook his head even though she still had her back to him. "No way," he said. "I never would have come to find you if I was just planning to dump you off somewhere once you got a little bit of grey in your hair." He stood on wobbly legs, feeling like the biggest fool in the universe. "I'm sorry, Rose. That was callous of me." He stood behind her, his hands coming to rest on her upper arms. He told himself not to get upset when she flinched at his touch. "I'm never going to leave you," he told her. "I _promise_ you. Never. You were always different, Rose. You always did mean that much more to me, even before I realised I loved you."

She shook her head and turned around to face him once more, eyes big and wide and filled with tears. "But I'm still going to end up leaving you," she spluttered out. "I'm still going to age long before you do."

He looked at her silently, not knowing what to say. He had his suspicions about what might happen in their future- sooner than they both might think- but he couldn't know anything for definite yet. That was a part of the story that was yet to be written for them.

_He floats through space for a little while, just drifting through the Time Vortex and re-reading every little bit of research Andy had collated over his time on the TARDIS. The guilt still burns inside the Doctor, and he is unable to take comfort in the fact that deep down he knows that what he did was the right thing, no matter how much it had hurt him to do it._

_Eventually he gets to the end of the massive pile of knowledge and wisdom, the only thing left on the desk in front of him the diagram of every single universe and everything else in between. He runs his hand over the image, imagining he can feel Rose there, imagining he is close. He is missing her more than ever now that he is alone again, now that he is once again starting out on the next piece of the puzzle with little or no clue as to where to start. _

_After a week, a month, maybe more- he can never be sure of the time anymore- he finally steps outside the TARDIS to start the next stage of the research on his own. A reference in the book with the diagram has led him here, to Earth, to England. He has no idea why._

_That is, he has no idea why until he locks the TARDIS door behind him and turns around to survey the scene. He is outside. It's spring, or maybe early summer. It's evening. He can see the sea from where he stands, just under half a mile away. And he's standing in an empty car park. He turns a full circle to take in the surroundings. And that's when he sees it._

_Directly opposite where the TARDIS is parked, there is a wall with a gate in it that leads down to the sea. There is a girl sitting on the wall, staring at him and his time machine as though she must have gone mad. And there, spread across the front of the wall she is sitting on are the words that used to haunt him, the once that used to fill him with the feeling of confusion and uncertainty. But now he thinks he has never been so happy to see them in his life. The girl on the wall looks at him as though he is crazy, as though she's going to cry._

_He laughs and reads the words over and over, a strange feeling of elation spreading through him. This is what he has been waiting for. He says the words aloud, Rose's presence in the back of his mind suddenly stronger than it has been since the day they said goodbye. He has never been more proud of her or her accidental forward planning. He wishes she was here so he could tell her that. He wants to kiss her for making sure he could find his way back to her, even though she has no idea what she's done. Her legacy is written throughout history, throughout time and space, referenced everywhere he's been looking without him even knowing. And it has led him here. He says the words again, and he thinks he might explode with happiness._

_Bad Wolf._

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**A/N:** We promise that all the confusing stuff in this story WILL make sense at some point in the future. But for now, we have to keep you all in suspense! Mainly because it's fun for us. Hahaha… Please leave a review!! Next chapter will be up on Friday (if it's not then shoot me!).


	8. Chapter 8

A chill swept through Rose as the words dropped from the Doctor's lips.

"Bad Wolf."

Her memories from when the Time Vortex had filled her were a golden haze. She remembered light and singing, the vague memory of taking a handful of letters and scattering them throughout time and space, a strange combination of relief and regret as the power had been pulled from her. The Bad Wolf had effectively blocked her from knowing what she, the Wolf, had done- and yet, somehow, her gut told her that this was not the last time the Doctor had encountered the Wolf's legacy.

"That was the first time you found the words?"

"Mm-hmm. I'd appreciate it next time if you'd leave me some clues a little earlier...but I suppose the Bad Wolf knew what she was doing. Three was enough."

The tone of his voice was teasing, and she laughed in spite of herself. "I'll make a note - next time I've got the whole of time and space running through my head, I'll make sure to leave you a lot more to go on."

_The girl is tapping her feet against the wall as she regards him curiously. He has stopped dancing around the street and looks up at her, wondering somewhere in the back of his mind how she managed to get up so high. "Hello!"_

"_Are you all right?"_

_Her concerned frown and big, wide eyes somehow immediately endear her to him and he finds himself telling her the truth. "No. Far from it. I'm not all right and likely never will be again. I'm the Doctor. Who are you?"_

_Her mouth opens, and she seems about to answer him, but he abruptly raises his hand at another sound. Footsteps. Running footsteps._

_Instinctively, he presses himself flat against the wall, the girl's feet almost brushing his hair. He cranes his neck out just barely, and in a blur, five people rush by the end of the wall. In a moment they are gone, hidden by the edge of the wall, but he got a good enough look._

_One of them was Jack Harkness. His jaw drops._

_This is too much of a coincidence. The Bad Wolf. And seeing Jack here, now… What's happening?_

_He looks up and over his shoulder. "What did you say your name was again?"_

"Scarlett," he said softly, coming back to the present. "She was a little imp. Reminded me of you, right down to the name. Big eyes, gobbed on makeup-"

"Oi!" Rose did her best to sound offended, but knew that it was true. She did used to wear one hell of a lot of makeup.

"Well, anyway," he continued. "We got talking, as people usually do in these random and strange situations. Found myself telling her about the TARDIS, for some reason."

"_A Time Machine?" she says from her place up on the wall, eyebrows raised until they're almost off her forehead._

_He nods emphatically. "Yep!"_

_She regards him suspiciously for a moment, before gripping the edge of the high wall and pushing off, jumping down to the ground with minimal effort. The Doctor looks at her, somewhat surprised, and he wouldn't be shocked to discover that his own eyebrows are raised considerably higher than they normally are. She grins at him for a moment, her tongue poking out between her teeth and unknowingly sending him a painful reminder of Rose. "Gymnast," she says. Her smile drops and she frowns at him. "What's wrong?"_

_He sighs. "So many things." And then, putting his pain to the back of his mind, "So do you want to see this time machine or not?"_

Rose leant back against the Doctor, taking comfort in the way he shifted to let her rest her head on his shoulder and pressed a kiss into her hair. She took his hand and held it possessively, telling herself not to be jealous but not quite managing to achieve it. It was obvious that he had liked this girl. "So did she believe you after you showed her then?"

The Doctor laughed and nodded, the look in his eyes telling her that he was reliving a fond memory. "Oh yes," he told her. "She did."

_He's surprised that she doesn't run away screaming after she finds out the TARDIS is bigger on the inside than the out. He's even more surprised that she doesn't feel the need to tell him that it's bigger on the inside, as most of his companions do. _

_Instead, she walks back outside slowly and stands looking up at the 1950s Police Box that holds a hold world's worth of secrets on the inside. He follows her, stands next to her, watches her watch the TARDIS._

_She reaches her hand out and strokes the wood. "This stuff works better than that underwear that holds your stomach in," she says casually._

_He chuckles and rests his hand next to hers. "You reckon?"_

"_Yeah. Those just make you look lumpy," she informs him. "This is better." She runs her hand over the wood once more. "Smooth finish." She looks up at him and grins, her eyes sparkling._

"_It better be," the Doctor says. "Wouldn't be too good if the TARDIS looked lumpy now, would it?" He smiles back._

_He has been suckered in, hook, line and sinker._

"I was very disappointed," he said to Rose.

She smiled. "Why?"

"She didn't tell me that it was bigger on the inside. You lot always tell me that! You take great pleasure in telling me obvious things about my ship!"

"Maybe she realised you already knew."

_There is pain, no doubt about it, at this living reminder of Rose being present on the TARDIS. The swish of blonde hair around the corner. The hooded sweatshirts and atrocious shoes that materialise as if by magic in the control room. The ripple of high female laughter throughout the corridors. But still, he is enjoying it. He likes having someone there again who looks up to him, who likes him and trusts him and willingly gives him her hand when they're running away from danger. He tries to tell himself that he likes Scarlett for her, not simply because she reminds him of Rose. Most of the time it works._

_He has filed the glimpse of Jack away as a problem to be dealt with later, trying to tell himself that the Jack he saw didn't know who he was because he hadn't met him yet, even though he knows that's not true. It was his Jack: that much is definite. But instead, he tries… and for a while, succeeds… in resuming his old life. The life of going from planet to planet, saving lives and rescuing impossible situations._

_He rescues Scarlett a couple of times too; seems she has almost as much talent for getting into trouble as Rose. One time she manages to save him from a group of aliens who wanted to destroy him in return for what he did during the Time War, his actions inadvertently causing their planet's infrastructure to fall to pieces. He cannot help but feel relieved as she helps him back to the TARDIS, and he is infinitely appreciative when she helps to fix his wounds from the aliens' 'investigations'._

"_Thanks," he tells her as she puts away the small dermal regenerator she had just been holding over a burn mark on his chest._

"_You're welcome," she replies. She comes back to stand in front of him and he hops off the bed in the medical room, the action bringing them so close he can feel her breath on his face as she looks up at him. "You feel okay, now?" she asks._

_He nods. "Yeah." And he means it. He smiles at her appreciatively and then slides his arms around her waist before he can stop himself, holding her body to his in an affectionate hug._

_Her arms wrap around him in return, and he finds himself relaxing into her embrace. It feels good to have someone pressed against him again, after so long. He rests his cheek on top of her blonde hair, smiling inwardly as he realises her roots are showing. He hasn't felt this good in a long time, not since he lost Rose all those years ago, now. _

_He wonders briefly if this means he's moving on, but that very thought makes him feel cold and so he dismisses it immediately. He instantly feels like a bastard for leading Scarlett on like he has, trying to convince himself that he is feeling better because she is good for him, and not because there is someone here who reminds him of what he lost and who has the ability to make him forget and take away the pain for a little while. _

_He hates himself even more as he pretends it is Rose in his arms and not her, but he still doesn't stop himself from doing it. He knows that he should take her home before he hurts her or damages her irreparably, but he can't bring himself to do it. He knows that she is starting to fall for him, but he can't bring himself to tell her that it's not like that. He likes his fantasy too much. Sometimes it makes him feel better to imagine that she is someone else, that Rose never left him, that he isn't slowly descending into a maddened despair…_

"I'm glad she made you happy for a while," Rose told the Doctor quietly.

He tightened his hold on her, reassuring himself that she was back with him now, that everything was okay again. "Yeah," he replied.

"But you shouldn't have used her like that." Her voice was tight, disapproving, but still somehow understanding.

The Doctor sighed. "I know I shouldn't have,' he said. "She called me on it eventually. I started obsessing again, going from library to library and searching anywhere I could think of. And then, finally, she had enough…"

_The fake happiness fades, after a while. The first time he's aware of his restlessness, of the persistent pain returning, is when he's wandering through the TARDIS and comes upon the research room. Andy's room._

_He opens the door slowly. There, stacked neatly upon the tables and desks, are the materials that Andy had organised for him. Everything is still here, untouched. Waiting for him._

_He spends the night re-reading through everything. The Court of Appeals. The world behind the mirrors. The power that, with luck, can give him back the person who he needs most in the whole of time and space. If he can present his case convincingly enough. _

_And if there's one thing that he can do, it's talk._

_Their journeys take on more of a structure now. He drags Scarlett to libraries and universities, for Andy, being the organised assistant that he was, had left neat lists of the work yet to be done. He has ignored those lists for too long, letting himself get caught up in the dream of having Rose- or at a stand-in for her- back with him in the TARDIS._

_Finally Scarlett calls him on it. Just as Rose would have done._

"Did she slap you?" Rose asked cheekily, twisting in the Doctor's arms to look up at his face.

He shook his head. "No," he said. "But she really should have done. I deserved it. In fact, I think if I saw her again now I'd actually _ask_ her to slap me. I was… I was an idiot," he admitted.

Rose smiled softly. "Maybe we should go see her sometime," she suggested. "I'd quite like to see that slap!"

He poked her. "Pervert," he said teasingly.

_They scream at one another in the control room, him calling her a flighty little girl and her calling him a stuffed shirt who's so broken over his lost love that he can't enjoy the things he still has. Both of them are right._

"Lost love? You… told her?"

"No. She figured it out." He shook his head. "I underestimated Scarlett."

_He realises that he has been taken her for granted for almost the whole time she has been travelling with him. It never occurred to him that she might know what he was doing. Perversely, that makes him even angrier. It almost makes him judge her for putting up with it for so long. _

_Their fight escalates. They yell at each other until he finally snaps and begins screaming at her in a way she doesn't deserve. She eventually just stands and stares at him, but now he's started he can't quite manage to stop. He shouts about how much it hurts to be alone, how much pain it causes him to be the last of his kind and not even have a hand to hold to help him through it. He yells about the agony of having the spark of light in his life- his Rose- taken away from him before he could even comprehend what was happening._

_He screams that he had thought things might be better once he met Scarlett and they started having adventures. In a moment of madness he stupidly tells her that she turned out to be a poor replacement to Rose, someone to plug the gap and hold his hand when he needed it, but nothing more._

_And then, damage done and cursing himself as he realises what he has just done to her, he takes her home and shoves her off the TARDIS before she even has the chance to cry or scream back at him for the terrible things he just said to her. Not since Adam Mitchell has he actually chucked someone off. And this time it's much more violent and painful, complete with bags being hurled and everything. He is just closing the doors on her when he hears her parting shot, "I hope you never find her." It rings in his ears for hours._

"But you did. You did find me." Rose hugged him for reassurance, feeling the tiny tremors in his body and the guilt radiating off him in waves for what he did to the girl who tried to help him.

The Doctor sighed, resting his head against Rose's shoulder, extremely glad that she wasn't yelling at him for what he had just told her. "I did." He paused, and then, "But I knew I couldn't do it alone."

**--------------**

**A/N: **Thanks for reading, please review!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Jack's back! And he brings with him a new method of writing/storytelling, just to keep things interesting. Teehee, enjoy ;)

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"And that was when you went back for Jack."

"Precisely."

_He's throwing levers in the TARDIS again, feeling the old girl wince at his roughness, but for once, he doesn't care. It seems that he's doomed to be alone forever, no one will stay with him while he's on this mad quest. But what had he expected? No one else cares for Rose as he does..._

_He stops. A thought._

_No one cares for Rose as he does. But there's someone that might be a pretty decent second place._

_Back to England. 2006. It doesn't take much work for him to find out that Jack Harkness, _his_ Jack, is affiliated with Torchwood. He supposes he shouldn't be surprised, after all...for someone of Jack's talents, Torchwood is perfect. Either that or running an international crime ring. And after what Jack said on the Gamestation - "I was much better off as a coward," - it seems he has chosen the hero's path._

_He'll wonder later how Jack got to the 21st century. For now, he has an appointment in Cardiff._

The Doctor looked up, and a smile reluctantly crossed his features. He tapped Rose on the shoulder.

The two figures that had earlier raced out of the TARDIS and tumbled down amidst the flowers were walking towards them, hand-in-hand. One was a short woman, thick shoulder-length auburn hair glinting in the afternoon sun.

The other...

"Trust you never to miss an entrance, Jack," he greeted the man. "I was just getting to your part of the story."

"Yeah, well, Kris and I were getting bored, so we decided to come see what you were up to." Jack flashed his debonair grin, the one which had gotten him into and out of trouble on countless worlds. "Besides, it sounds like we got here just in time."

"Why's that?" Rose lifted her head from the Doctor's chest and smiled at the Captain lazily.

"Because this part's my story, and I'm gonna tell it." Jack grinned again. "He'll mess it up."

The Doctor glared playfully at Jack. "Oh, will I?"

"Well, some parts anyway. You weren't standing there in the Torchwood bay, after all, watching the TARDIS materialize..."

-8-8-8-

First the bubbling hand. Then the air, displaced by the thing that was slowly materializing, ruffling his hair.

Jack Harkness smiled.

And finally...the whooshing that he could still identify instantly, even though it had been so many years since he'd heard it. There was only one thing in the universe that made a noise like that.

The blue box was solid. The sound of the engines stopped.

The doors opened. And a man he'd never seen before leaned out.

"Oi! Jack! Are you coming or not?"

_It's got to be the Doctor. Somehow._

Jack didn't waste any more time thinking about it. He hurled himself across the short distance, barreling through the TARDIS doors. Skidding to a stop, he looked behind him.

The stranger closed the doors and leapt up the ramp, jumping around the control console, lit by the green glow that Jack had seen so many times in his daydreams. That whooshing sound that he remembered so well began again, stopping a moment later.

"There. Okay," the stranger breathed. "Sorry 'bout that...I wanted to make sure those Torchwood blokes didn't give us any trouble." He straightened up, looking Jack in the face. "You must be wondering..."

Jack cut him off. "You're the Doctor."

The thin man in the pinstriped suit nodded. "Got it in one."

"What happened?"

"Regeneration. Time Lord trick. Cheat death, live hundreds of years...and get a new body in the bargain."

Jack blinked. "You...died?"

"Yeah. Long story short, Rose took the Time Vortex into her head, and I had to take it out of her to save her life. Killed me in the process. Tell you all of it sometime."

Jack slowly walked up the ramp. His mind was still spinning. "Rose. Where is she?"

An expression unlike any Jack had ever seen before crossed the Doctor's face. "Gone."

"Gone? You mean she left? Oh God, don't tell me she finally shacked up with Mickey..."

The Doctor shook his head. "No. She's gone. I...lost her."

"Um...Doctor, I believe a lot of things that most people think are impossible, but I'm not sure how you just _lose_ a person like you lose a pencil."

"It wasn't like that," the Doctor murmured. "I tried to keep her safe. But she wouldn't let me."

"Sounds like Rose."

That brought a smile, however brief, to his lips. "Yeah."

"So...you lost her?"

"She's in a parallel universe. Safe...alive...but gone."

Jack sucked in his breath. "Oh. And I take it...that that's a problem."

The Doctor's eyes met his, and he was finally able to put a name to the expression on the other man's face. _Haunted._

"I need her, Jack."

"You should've come back for me earlier. I could've told you that."

"Will you help me?"

Jack's lips twisted, in a cynical smile. "So is that why you came back for me now? You need my help? If it weren't for that, would you have just left me there rotting with fcking Torchwood forever?"

The Doctor rounded on him. "What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know! Maybe, 'I'm sorry'? 'I'm sorry, Jack, we brought you back to life and accidentally made you immortal, and then just for kicks, we decided to leave you behind, on a space station full of dead people. Our fault, please accept my apology and let's go have a drink.' That might be a good start."

"Accidentally made you immortal? What the bloody hell are you talking about?"

Jack was breathing hard. "You don't know?"

"Obviously not!"

"Whatever you did...whatever brought me back to life...now I can't die. I've tried." He grinned bleakly. "Working for Torchwood is dangerous. I keep getting killed. But..." He spread his hands. "Here I am."

"The Time Vortex," the Doctor murmured. "When Rose brought you back to life...it must still be in you. Keeping you alive."

"Gee, you think?"

"Well, what am I supposed to say, Jack?" He'd forgotten how angry the other man could make him. "I had no idea where you were until a few months ago! I knew you were off being a hero somewhere, but that's as far as I got! And what with the Daleks and the Cybermen and the parallel universe and all, I've been just a mite busy lately! So I'm sorry, all right? I'm sorry that you got stuck in Cardiff instead of being out in the universe with me and Rose. Are you happy?"

"No."

The Doctor blinked. "Good, then. Because I'm not either."

"The last time I really felt happy...really felt alive? It was on the Gamestation. With you and Rose." Jack stared at the floor. "Part of me's been broken ever since."

"How long has it been? For you."

Jack sighed. "Over two hundred years. Give or take some."

Two hundred years of pain. Two hundred years of loneliness, immortality, feeling like half a person.

Somehow, the Doctor understood. As Jack had known he would.

The Doctor's hands dropped to his sides, and he let out a long breath. "Jack...I'm so sorry."

Jack shook his head. "Forget it. It's not important."

"Yes it is. I...ah." He ran a hand through his hair. "I should have come back for you sooner. You belong on the TARDIS."

"That much we agree on, at least." A glimmer of his old, roguish grin appeared. The Doctor was heartened to see it. "So what's the plan, Doctor?"

"Plan?"

"You know. Get Rose back. Rescue the fair maiden and save the world?"

"Right. Ah. Here, look at this."

Jack stepped up to the viewscreen as he shrugged his greatcoat off, peering down at the lines of text. "The Court of Appeals? What the hell is that?"

"It's a Gallifreyan fairy tale."

"I'm lost."

"The Court of Appeals is a legend told to children on Gallifrey. It's a mythical governing body with the power to make anything that's impossible possible. Fix paradoxes. Change time always for the better without consequences. Do your homework for you." He grinned. "Always liked that part."

"Okay, so how is a mythical court going to help us find Rose?"

"Because it's not mythical. Here." The Doctor punched a key and the text changed. "Look at these. This is what I've been doing the past years: researching. Trying to find a way to get to the Court."

Jack's eyes rapidly scanned the text, picking out a reference here, a note there. "Doctor, these are all legends too..."

"Right. But they're legends from worlds that my people had no contact with."

Jack nodded slowly, straightening up. "So you think that there has to be a reality behind the legends. And sooner or later, you're going to find a way to get there."

"Precisely."

"Hmm. Sounds like a wild goose chase to me. Running around looking for something that no one knows for sure if it exists or not." Jack spread his hands again, smiling and shrugging. "Then again, I don't really have anything better to do."

"Then you'll help me?"

He reached out, clapping the Doctor on the shoulder. "I'll help you. But I've got a price."

The Doctor looked wary. "What is it?"

Jack was looking at the floor again. "You have to help me, too."

"Your immortality...Jack, I'm not sure we can reverse it. This hasn't happened before as far as I know..."

Jack slashed his hand through the air, cutting the Doctor off. "No. I don't want you to reverse it. At least not now. Maybe..." He glanced at the doors. "Maybe if I'd been going to be stuck in Cardiff for the rest of forever. Maybe then. But now that I'm back here, I want a different kind of help. I want you to teach me how to live with it. That's my price."

The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets, looking down, then back up at Jack again. "Deal."

Jack extended a hand. "Shake on it?"

The Doctor grinned, slowly, and took Jack's hand. To his surprise, he was yanked into a rough hug, feeling Jack's arms encircle him tightly.

"If you ever leave me behind again," Jack growled, "I swear I will kill you. Deal?"

"Deal."

---

"Do you need to say goodbye?"

The question gave Jack pause. The Doctor was standing at the console, beginning to set the controls for their next destination, halting as he waited for Jack's answer.

"I took us out pretty quickly. I didn't think...if there's anyone that you need to say goodbye to..."

Jack shook his head, then nodded, then shook his head again. "I don't know. I should...well. There are some things I wouldn't like to leave behind. And...yeah. Yeah. I should tell them goodbye. I owe them that much."

"All right." The Doctor slammed a lever down. "Next stop, Torchwood, about two minutes after we left."

---

Jack stepped out of the TARDIS with the Doctor at his back, and was instantly accosted by his team.

"Where did you go?"

"What happened?"

"What is _that?"_ This last by Toshiko, who was glaring at the police box. "And _who_ is that?"

Gwen stood a little apart from the rest of the group. Her voice almost went unheard. "It's the right kind of Doctor. And Jack's leaving."

The group fell silent.

Jack swallowed. "She's right. This is the Doctor."

"Hello!" came from behind him.

"But..." Ianto was looking at him almost desperately. "You just...you're leaving? Sir?"

Jack's head dropped. He nodded.

"I came back to say goodbye," he murmured. "I'm going with the Doctor. There's something we have to do."

"But then you're coming back?" Ianto again.

Jack shook his head. "No. I'm not coming back."

The team stood in silence, all of them looking at him. It made his skin crawl, and he turned to the Doctor. "This will only take a minute."

The Doctor had already parked himself at Jack's desk, beginning to fiddle with the bits of alien technology that were strewn around it. He picked up the piece of coral with a grin. "A baby TARDIS! Jack, where did you find this?"

"Long story."

"Well, we'll take it with us! Give the old girl a bit of company." The Doctor grinned, tucking the piece of coral into his jacket pocket. "Haven't seen one of these in ages. Oi, I thought you were going to pack? Hurry up then, we haven't got all day."

---

Gwen followed him into his rooms. He'd known she would. She sat silently in a chair as he pulled out his old military duffel and began packing.

"Where will you go?" she asked finally, when his drawers and closet were almost empty.

"Everywhere." He paused, giving her a smile. "Every_when_."

"What is it that you have to do?"

"We have to find a friend. Someone who was with us before. She got...left behind."

"Left behind." Gwen paused. "Like you."

"Yeah. You could say that." He tossed the last of his clothes in the duffel and zipped it.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"What do we do without you?"

He knelt, pulling a box from under the bed. It was a case of Scotch that'd he'd been saving since the fifties...no reason to leave _that _behind. Straightening, he shouldered the duffel, tucking the box under one arm.

"You keep going," he said firmly. "You're in charge now."

"_What_? Jack, I'm the new girl, the team would never..."

"Yes they will." He reached out, ran his free hand over her hair. "You'll be fine. You'll be _better_ than fine. Someone's got to look after them."

She was silent for a moment. When she finally spoke, her voice was very small. "Who's going to look after me?"

He didn't have an answer. Instead, he put the box down by his feet, reaching out and drawing her into a hug. "Goodbye, Gwen."

---

It was the same with the rest of the team. Hugs for all. Tears from some. Pleas to come back. Pleas to stay. Cries that they needed him.

What made it worse was that they were right. They _did_ need him. But he didn't need them.

Not anymore.

When he got to Ianto, there was one thing more: a salty, bitter kiss goodbye. No words, other than, "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, sir."

When it was over, he unhooked the jar with the hand in it from its support systems, and tossed it to the Doctor, who caught it, surprised. "I think this is yours."

The Doctor turned the jar over in his hands. "You're right. It is."

"Then let's go."

Without a backward glance, Jack picked up his box of Scotch for the last time. The Doctor was directly in front of him, walking into the TARDIS. As he crossed the threshold, he heard Gwen call out, "Jack!"

He turned.

She was smiling at him, standing behind the rest. "Have fun," she said quietly.

He grinned in answer. Then he pushed the box under one arm, and with the other, swung the TARDIS doors shut.

"Right then," he heard the Doctor say behind him. "Shall we?"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Thank you for all the lovely comments and support so far! Enjoy chapter 10 :)

------------------------------------------------

"I don't even want to think about what you two got up to left to your own devices," Rose said, a teasing tone in her voice.

The Doctor adopted a mock-hurt expression. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "I resent that."

Jack laughed, wrapping his arm around Kris as she shifted to lean up against him. "Can see why she'd be worried though," he told the other man, grinning widely. "We did get up to some mad things. Our little trip to Angdotia springs to mind…"

A flush spread across the Doctor's face. He looked down at the ground, avoiding all eye contact. "Well, yes," he admitted reluctantly, scratching the back of his head. "But that wasn't _strictly_ our fault."

Rose giggled and poked him. "You'd better make sure you tell us about that," she told him.

"Oh, they'd better," Kris agreed with her. She grinned at Rose. "These men, eh? They're nothing without us."

Jack's expression sobered. "That's not actually all that far from the truth."

-8-8-8-

Two hours after his return to the TARDIS, Jack and the Doctor were poring over some of Andy's less decipherable research notes, a half empty bottle of Scotch between them. The Doctor hadn't been too sure what he would say to Jack if they hadn't had something to occupy their minds with; he was feeling horrendously guilty about leaving the man to rot in his lonely immortal existence for the past two hundred years, but he wasn't quite sure what he could say in way of apology that wouldn't sound completely futile. He also hadn't realised how much it would hurt to have the charming captain back with him; as thrilled as he was to have his good friend back where he belonged, it made him realise all the more that there was a Rose-shaped hole in between them. She had always been the thing that had bound him and Jack together.

Jack sighed. "Right," he said. "I think I've worked it out."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows expectantly as Jack sifted through the pile of paper in front of him until he found the book that had been the cause of so much excitement less than a year ago. It belatedly occurred to the Doctor that he hadn't gotten any further in that line of investigation since he had met Scarlett. He wondered if she had simply been somehow handed to him as a respite from the endless work of finding a way back through the void without collapsing two universes- something to remind him why he kept on fighting, perhaps.

Jack flipped through the pages until he reached the diagram of all the galaxies in the known universe and the curve of the void on the left hand side of the page. "The Court of Appeal," he said. "It's there, right? In the blank space."

"Very good, Captain," the Doctor answered appreciatively. "You worked that out one hell of a lot faster than I did."

"Maybe you should have come back for me sooner," Jack answered, his voice becoming distant. "All this could be done with by now."

There was silence for a moment. "You're right," he said eventually, deciding to try and joke his way out of the awkward moment. "I should have done. I'm sure you're much better at charming your way out of being arrested for breaking into a high-security library than I am."

Jack snorted, his familiar cheeky grin appearing once more. "Oh, I don't know about that, Doc. You're not so bad in this new body of yours." He leaned towards the other man, one hand coming up to rub at the Doctor's back through his blue Oxford shirt. He whispered into his ear, "But I'd be more than happy to defend your honour for you if you needed me to."

"Now, now, Captain," the Doctor said, leaning back in his chair and dislodging Jack's hand. "I don't think I've had quite enough alcohol to let myself be seduced by you." He smiled, letting him know that he didn't really mind. In fact, he'd even say he was flattered… and just a little bit tempted. But no, they had work to do. He couldn't let himself be distracted.

"Right, okay," Jack said, his eyes twinkling. "But you should know, Doctor, the hard-to-get angle is a good look on you."

"I'll bear that in mind." He finished the last of his Scotch and pulled out a page of handwritten notes. "So, let me tell you what I have in mind next."

"Great, let's here it." Jack picked up the Scotch bottle, refilling the Doctor's glass. "But first I think you should have another drink."

-8-8-8-

Sitting in the field of flowers, the Doctor and Jack were busy laughing about that first night back together on the TARDIS. They didn't notice that Rose and Kris were whispering frantically between themselves, gesturing towards the two men and holding in their laughter.

A particularly loud snort from Rose caught the Doctor's attention. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "Aren't you two listening? We're trying to tell you about our epic cross-dimensional adventures and you're gossiping away in the corner!"

"Women," Jack said to him as though that explained everything. The Doctor nodded sagely in agreement.

"We were… We were just wondering," Rose choked out around a giggle. "Did…" She burst out laughing.

"Did anything come of that extra drink?" Kris finished innocently, as though she had no idea of the implications of the question.

The Doctor did his best to look appalled. "No!" he said, unable to hide the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. "It most certainly and emphatically did not."

Jack pretended to look hurt. "Don't pretend you didn't want me, Doctor," he said. "If you hadn't been so busy trying to rip open the universe you would have said 'yes' with no hesitation."

The Doctor didn't answer.

"Can't say I'd be too upset about seeing that," Kris said into the ensuing silence.

Rose giggled. "Well, we're all friends," she said in agreement. "We can share!"

"Rose Tyler! I should wash your mouth out with soap for that!" The Doctor pulled her into him possessively. "And I'm currently quite happy being selfish, thank you very much."

Jack looked like he was considering the idea. He looked between Kris and Rose, eyebrows raised expectantly. "Would we get to watch, too?" he asked.

"Sure," Kris replied.

"Excellent. I'm sure you could cope with that, right Doctor?"

The Doctor looked slightly indignant… and slightly intrigued. "Well," he mumbled. "If it's in the name of experimentation and research, then I guess…"

-8-8-8-

Ten days and a couple of minor mishaps involving chocolate cake on a planet where sugar was banned and a rather large hosepipe, the Doctor and Jack went to visit a library on the tiny planet of Angdotia, renowned for its knowledge on the science of the universe. There was a small section of the library dedicated to the workings and assumptions surrounding the void and all its aliases, and the Doctor was hoping they would be able to find out how to get close enough to it to find the Court of Appeal, but stay far enough away from the void so that they weren't sucked into oblivion.

It was a section of the library that obviously wasn't used very much, judging by the dust covering the books and furnishings and the moth-eaten pieces of paper littering the floor of the reading room.

The two men spent a few hours wading through useless material by various scholars speculating on what could be found inside the void. Most of them seemed to agree that what was in there could never be known, as it wouldn't be possible to survive long enough to find out. One strange professor who the Doctor imagined would have the same mad look as Einstein seemed to think that the inside of the void would be nirvana. _A place to reflect and to learn,_ the man wrote. _Somewhere where you can truly be at one with yourself, where no one would be able to interrupt your reflections for the barriers of the lost place would protect you. It would,_ he continued- rather naively in the Doctor's expert opinion- _be Utopia_. The Doctor begged to differ. Trapped in a sphere with millions of Daleks and Cybermen didn't sound like his idea of the perfect place to be calm and reflect. It sounded like hell. He shivered as he once again thought of how close Rose had come to being sucked into that nightmare for all eternity. He put that ignorant book down fairly quickly.

"You found anything, Jack?" he asked as a distraction from his thoughts.

Jack frowned as he scanned over a faded scroll. "Not sure," he replied. "This thing seems to be pretty useless," he concluded as he shoved the paper aside. "Keeps going on about how the void has a Keeper that holds they key to its mysteries. Nut job if you ask me."

"Or not." The Doctor rose from his rather uncomfortable hard-backed chair and came to stand next to where Jack was sat. "The members of the Court…" he thought aloud. "They're called the Guardians. So maybe… Jack, can I have that paper?"

"Sure." Jack handed him the battered scroll. "Good luck with it."

He scanned through the faded lettering, reading about the place that rested on the edge of existence, that held the key to the void. He reached the bottom of the paper. "Where's the rest of it?"

"That's it."

"Really? All of it?"

"Yeah."

"It can't be. It just cuts off in the middle of the sentence. Look, here." The Doctor showed the page to Jack again, reading aloud from the paper. "The Keeper can only help to access the dead space; he cannot cross it himself. He who wishes to meddle in the affairs of this lost place must do so with…" He tossed the paper down. "There must be another bit that continues on from that."

-8-8-8-

"Wait, Angdotia was the place you said something mad happened, wasn't it?" Rose asked as the Doctor paused in his story telling.

"Ohhhh yeah," Jack said suggestively. "It was."

"What happened?"

He shifted to sit cross-legged on the grass, a delighted grin spreading across his face as he began to tell Rose what had happened, whilst the Doctor turned the colour of a strawberry behind her.

-8-8-8-

They searched through the whole room, trying to find the continuation of the scroll that had piqued the Doctor's interest. Soon every shelf had been turned upside down and inside out in their mad quest to find what would probably be a useless, crumpled piece of paper.

"Can't find it, Doc," Jack said eventually. "I don't think it's here."

"Damn it!" The Doctor thumped his fist down on the table in frustration, an unexpectedly hollow sound ringing out. He frowned and moved his hand to the edge of the desk. He wrapped his fingers around the lip of the desk and pulled upwards, the cracked marble top giving way and lifting upwards.

"Doc, look," Jack said, clearly not getting it and thinking the Doctor had gone mad as he pulled apart the desk. "It's only a piece of paper, it's no excuse to go round pulling apart state property."

"Help me, Jack," the Doctor said, gesturing to the other man to take hold of the marble desktop. That burden relieved, he slipped his hand beneath the crack whilst Jack took the weight of the heavy marble. His fingers brushed against something flat… and papery. "Hello," he said, gripping onto the object and pulling it out.

Jack put the desk down. "What is it?"

"It looks like something they didn't want us to find," he replied, beginning to unfold the paper, mindful of the worn-in creases and dried-out edges.

The two men were so intent on their new find that they reacted a moment too late when a loud siren went off just outside of the room, and three seconds later four armed guards rushed in, weapons trained on their chests.

"Ah," said the Doctor. "Looks like they _really _didn't want us to find it."

-8-8-8-

"What happened?" Rose asked.

"Well," Jack said conversationally. "They took the paper off us. They took us to a room. They pointed guns at us. They asked us what we were looking for. They accused us of searching for Forbidden Secrets." He grinned. "And then they accused us of stealing."

-8-8-8-

"I can assure you," the Doctor said frantically as a rather burly looking guard went through the pockets of his suit in the corner of the room. "That you will be hearing from my lawyer about this. I can assure you we have done nothing wrong."

Jack snickered next to him, apparently not finding their current dire straits quite as dire as the Doctor. "Chill out, Doc," he whispered.

"Shut it, Harkness," the Doctor hissed. "You're currently just as naked as me, remember."

"I remember." It was true. They had been dragged into a holding room and divested of their clothing to make sure they hadn't tried to steal anything from the room in the library. Men with big guns were there to make sure they didn't try anything.

"Could you not have searched our pockets with our clothes on?" the Doctor enquired. He was answered with an annoyed look from the alien currently shaking out his suit jacket. He winced as the sonic screwdriver fell out and hit the ground.

"Could be worse," Jack said quietly, turning to look at him and leering playfully. "The view isn't so bad."

"I'm going to kill you," the Doctor told him, deadly serious.

"Try all you like. It won't work. Unless, of course, you were thinking more specifically of _le petit mort_…" Jack laughed.

The Doctor shot him a murderous look.

-----

Forty five minutes later they shut the door of the TARDIS behind them, clothes and dignity returned and egos only slightly bruised from the manhandling by over zealous library staff.

"They really didn't want us to have that parchment," the Doctor said, determined not to let the conversation return to the embarrassing incident that had just taken place. He thought that it might be a good idea to avoid Jack for a few hours, just until the Captain's excitement had died down somewhat.

"No, they didn't," Jack agreed. "Which is why," he continued. "I imagine they're gonna be really mad when they find out it's gone missing."

"What?"

The Captain grinned and pulled the folded piece of paper out of his trouser pocket. "Present for ya, Doc," he said.

The Doctor stared at him open-mouthed. "_How_ did you manage to smuggle that out of there?"

"You don't wanna ask," he was told. "But let's just say I took care of it whilst you were yelling at the library manager when they gave us our clothes back."

"Thank you," he replied appreciatively.

"I just hope it's worth it."

He opened up the paper carefully and then laid it flat against the TARDIS console. "Yes, Jack," he said. "This is it. This is the missing part of the scroll."

"Go on then," Jack said as he tried to make out the faded words from over the Doctor's shoulder. "What does it say?"

The Doctor read over the words on the sheet, feeling the beat of his hearts speed up as he read the quasi-instructions for puncturing through the void and coming out of the other side unharmed. "It says we need permission of the Keeper- I'm guessing that's the Court."

"Does it say how to get to the Court?"

He sighed. "It says that only someone with a mastery of the manipulation of time and space will have the capacity to even be able to find the Court in the first place, let alone convince them of the worth of their case."

"Well, it's a good thing you're a Time Lord then, right?" The Doctor didn't reply. "Doctor?"

He read the script once more, hoping that he had read it wrong. But no, he hadn't. His hearts sank. "It takes more than one, Jack," he said. "To get through the void. One isn't enough to be able to do it."

"Well, what about-"

"I need another Time Lord, Jack. I can't get to Rose without another Time Lord." The Doctor's head lowered and he gripped the edge of the console tightly

A seeping cold made its way into Jack's stomach as he realised the scale of that problem. The Doctor was a Time Lord. But he was the _last_ Time Lord. And yet he needed another one. Those odds just didn't add up no matter how he looked at it. "Oh," he said uselessly.

"We can't give up," the Doctor said suddenly, raising his head and looking at Jack with more determination than he had ever seen in him before. "I can't lose her just because we don't have the right resources. We can make it work. We _have_ to make it work."

Jack could see his desperation. "I know we do," he answered honestly. "So what do we do next?"

There was a pause as the Doctor thought. "We… We go to Sirius Spaceport," he said eventually. "I need to see a man about some business."


	11. Chapter 11

Kris shifted, lying down in the flowers and letting her coppery hair spill into Jack's lap, where he idly sifted his fingers through the thick mass. "You never did tell me what the two of you were doing there."

"Business," the Doctor replied evasively.

"Actually, I'd like to know too," Jack added, leaning back on one arm. "Not that I'm not grateful we made the trip - " he tugged lightly on Kris' hair, eliciting a smile - "but I am curious as to why we were there in the first place."

"Well..." The Doctor sighed, evading Rose's inquiring gaze. "We needed another Time Lord."

"Right, we got that part."

"So I decided to try some things that I'd already tried, because one of the constants of the universe is that if something doesn't work, you try and do it again. Just in case. So I went looking for some friends of mine, people that I'd known, to see if there was any chance I'd overlooked something before. Going places and times where I knew they'd been."

"And I'm guessing you found nothing," Jack said.

"Right on. That colleague I was seeing at Sirius Port? Didn't exist. All his friends were there, everyone who was supposed to be there at that particular place and time...but not him. Not Tonbaro, who was a Time Lord I knew in the Academy." A grin crossed his features at the whisper of memories from his school days...and the accompanying hijinks. "Anyway, I stayed and talked to them for awhile. Good people, although they obviously had never heard of Tonbaro. And these were folk he'd known for a long time."

"It was also around that time...the trip to Angdotia...that I started sleeping again," Jack added.

"What do you mean?" Rose regarded his quizzically.

"After the Gamestation I wasn't ever able to really sleep, until I got back on the TARDIS. The ship did something with the telepathic connection; I don't know exactly what, still don't, but I could actually get tired when I was on board. And I could sleep." Jack smiled. "It was incredible, the first time it happened. But anyway, that's a sidetrack - where were we?"

"I was off meeting with Tonbaro's friends, and Jack was causing a bar fight..."

"What?" Rose twisted in the Doctor's arms, regarding Jack. "Not that that surprises me, but..."

"It's true." Kris nodded from Jack's lap. "That's how we met."

"I hear another story coming on..."

-8-8-8-

Jack retrieved his martini from the bartender, sliding money (including a generous tip) across to the man, and turned to survey the room. Decent place; not too crowded. What one might expect of the "better" bar at the spaceport - even the smaller ones always had two, a grungy one and a clean one. This was the clean one.

The Doctor had said not to expect him back at the TARDIS before morning. Any other man, Jack would've figured that he'd find the colleague they'd come to meet and then seek out some companionship - of the dalliance variety - but not the Doctor. If he said he'd be talking with what's-his-name all night, then that was exactly what was going to be happening. Talking. _How boring._

Jack sipped his martini - just right - and shot the bartender a look of gratitude. "Nice. Thanks, buddy."

The bartender grunted and turned back to drying glasses, as Jack's eyes roamed over the room. The _Doctor_ might not be one to indulge, but if he was going to have the TARDIS all to himself for the night, he certainly wasn't going to pass up the opportunity...

His gaze settled on a brunette sitting alone by the wall, nursing a mug of something resembling beer, with a plate of food in front of her. He mentally catalogued her assets: on the short side, but not too short. Nice, thick hair: reddish brown, closer to auburn than he'd first thought. _Change the brunette to redhead, then._ Thin but curvy, as far as he could tell beneath the battered mechanic's coverall she wore. Her sleeves were rolled up, and her arms and hands looked strong.

-8-8-8-

"So that was your initial impression of me?" Kris laughed. "Good God, I feel like an inventory entry. 'Human female, age 28...'"

The four of them laughed, Jack included, whose cheeks were stained a faint red. "In my defense..."

"In your defense, I know, I know, you were only looking for some 'dalliance'."

"Right, so can I get on with the story?"

-8-8-8-

He was interrupted in his train of thought by a woman interposing herself directly in his line of view, and looked up. "Help you?"

"Maybe," she cooed. Jack lifted an eyebrow. Not the type he generally preferred: bit _too_ made up. Bright red lips, blonde hair, tight clothes - he wasn't in the mood tonight. The redhead by the wall was looking much better.

"I'm looking...for a man." Breathy voice. _Bedroom_ voice. His pants were suddenly uncomfortably tight. Well...she wasn't bad looking, really, and certainly a known quantity...

-8-8-8-

"You were going to go off with Celeste?" Kris was hooting with laughter. "I would've paid to see that!"

Jack rolled his eyes, glaring at the Doctor and Rose, who looked suspiciously like they were muffling laughter as well. "Like I said, she was a known quantity, okay? You I didn't know about, and she certainly seemed to be available and willing..."

-8-8-8-

Fingernails lightly scratched his bare forearm, and he looked down to see a slim, delicate hand with long, bright red nails clamped onto him. He raised his eyes again, looking the blonde in the face. "What kind of man are you looking for?"

"Well...he's _tall_...dark-haired..._very_ handsome..." Her nail trailed along the line of muscle on his arm. _"Very_ muscular..."

Jack lifted his glass, toasting the blonde. "I think I might be able to - "

Once again, he was interrupted. This time, by a roar, coming from the direction of the bathrooms. _Oh, I could just _see_ this coming... _

Sure enough, a hulking giant whom Jack was willing to bet was the blonde's date was coming out of the men's, looking mighty pissed and heading straight for him. _And I was having such a nice night._ He shrugged, tossing back the rest of his martini. _No use in letting it go to waste._

The gorilla stopped in front of him. Conveniently, the blonde had vanished, and reappeared cowering behind the giant. "Pretty boy," was growled in his general direction.

"Captain Jack Harkness, pleased to meet you." He extended a hand, which was ignored. Oh well - he'd tried.

"You leave Celeste alone, if you knows what's good for you," the big man rumbled. "She don't need you messin' around with her - she got ME." A thumb that was about the size of Jack's entire hand turned in towards the massive chest.

"Well, actually...she was the one that came up to me. I was on my way over there." He pointed to the redhead's table. Everyone looked over in that direction, and said redhead looked up, startled. Jack grinned. "Hi, honey!"

_Please let her play along, please let her play along..._

He wasn't disappointed. The redhead's surprised look was quickly replaced by a welcoming, sultry smile, and she got up, sauntering over in his direction.

"Jack! I didn't see you come in. Always have to get a drink first, don't you?" She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him close and maneuvering herself to whisper in his ear, "I'm Kris. Thank me later."

_Oh, I plan to. _He'd gotten a good feel of her with that hug...a lean, firm body with plenty of curves in the right places. For a moment he actually felt grateful to the blonde for creating the situation.

-8-8-8-

Kris was doubled over in the flowers, clutching her stomach and gasping for air. "If I'd known what was going through your head at the time..."

"Would you have done anything different?" Jack swatted her bum as the Doctor and Rose looked on with amusement.

Kris stopped laughing, raised her head, and looked into the captain's blue eyes. "Not a chance in hell."

-8-8-8-

The giant was looking from one to the other of them dubiously. "Kris? Dis your guy?"

"Sure is, Mikey." She gave the giant - _Mikey?_ - a saucy wink. "Pretty one, isn't he?"

"Yeah. Which is why I don't buy it." He glared at her. "Yous couldn't get a pretty boy like dis, Kris. And if you did, we'd all know about it. So hows come none of us ever _seen_ dis guy before?"

_Oh boy. _Jack thought he might be in trouble - usually when they were that big, they weren't very smart...

Kris stood up straighter, drawing herself to her full height. Which meant that the top of her head was just about brushing Jack's chin, but the gesture was appreciated. "I _said_ he's mine, Mikey. Is there a problem with that?"

Mikey and Kris glared at each other for a minute. Mikey seemed about to back down, and Jack's estimation of Kris rose several notches...and then he noticed that a crowd of friends had gathered around Mikey. And that the bartender, who'd made him such a good martini, was slipping into the back room.

_That_ was when he knew he was in trouble.

"He come on to Celeste, Mikey!" hissed one of the friends. Jack made a mental note that that friend, whoever he was, was going to be one of the first ones down if it came to a fight. "You don't stand for that! You _knows _that!"

"Dat's right," growled Mikey. His huge hands were clenched into fists. "And if he is your guy, Kris...dat makes him your problem."

Kris glanced over her shoulder at Jack. What startled him was the grin on her face that he felt spreading to his own.

"Can we get out of here?" he mumbled, as the crowd - ten men or so - drew into a circle around them.

"Not without some big guns."

"That's what I thought. Can you fight?"

As an answer, she turned, pressing against him so that they were back-to-back. "I can fight."

"Good to hear!" He grabbed the nearest chair. Out of the corner of his eye, someone moved towards Kris. Something silver flashed in her hand, and the man went down, bleeding from the temple. All right then - she could take care of herself.

After that it was all a blur.

Flashes of clarity: Jack distinctly remembered smashing the chair over some guy's head with a feral yell. At one point Mikey had punched him in the gut, and Kris had been screaming in his ear for him to stay upright, pushing back against him to prop him up while bashing Mikey's hand with the torq wrench she was holding. He also remembered Kris grabbing one of the broken chair pieces and stabbing someone in the leg, and being grateful that she was on his side.

His next really clear memory was of a lot of bodies on the floor moaning, and him and Kris standing in the center, virtually untouched. His face felt sticky, but not overly so, and he guessed he had some kind of small cut. Kris was sporting a black eye and had a few cuts across the back of her left hand, but other than that, they were fine. Mikey the giant had disappeared - probably had had the sense to get out while the getting was good. He suddenly remembered that _Mikey_ had been the one Kris stabbed in the leg, and was absurdly pleased.

She was breathing hard as she re-holstered the torq wrench on her belt. "You got a ship?"

"Yeah," he answered, dabbing at his face.

"Now would be a good time to get on it."

They began working their way to the bar entrance, which was - strangely - clear of spectators. Apparently the actual fight had killed any desire to watch it.

"What about you?"

She shrugged. "What about me? I got myself involved in your problem, and now the problem's solved. My business will go down for a couple weeks while Mikey and his friends sulk, and then they'll remember that I'm the best and cheapest mechanic on this rock."

"Do you have somewhere to go?"

"Home. Or my shop, I suppose." Another shrug.

He stopped walking, putting his hand on her arm to make her stop too, and turned her to face him. "Hey. At least let me get you dinner and a drink - I owe you."

"Yeah, you do." She seemed pleased. "But where are you planning on doing that? Everywhere's closed except the other bar, and trust me, if you had problems at _this_ one..." She didn't finish the sentence, but then, she didn't have to.

"I've got food on my ship. We can eat there."

Kris looked down the promenade. "Maybe."

"You got a husband to go home to? Boyfriend? Girlfriend? Something-else-friend?" She shook her head, looking amused.

"Nope. Just me."

He'd figured, from what she'd said in the bar, but it was good to have the confirmation. "I'm very glad to hear you say that." He extended his arm. "Shall we dine?"

-----

Kris peered at the blue box as Jack led her into the dock. It looked very small, sitting there all alone in the dock space allotted for it... "_This_ is your ship?"

"Yep!" He pulled his key out, fumbling it into the lock. "Bigger on the inside."

"I hope so," she mumbled...then caught her breath as Jack swung the doors open and led her inside.

Jack smiled at the incredulous look on Kris' face as they entered the control room, remembering the first time _he'd_ stepped into the TARDIS. "Nice, huh?"

She was standing at the control console, carefully running her fingers over the various components. "Is that...a bicycle pump?"

"Yep." At her look, he held his hands up in defense. "The Doctor is the only one who understands how it all fits together. It's his ship; I'm just along for the ride. And I can fix some things in a pinch, so he puts up with me."

She smiled, which turned into a grin as his stomach rumbled audibly. "What was that you were saying about food?"

"Right. This way."

-----

"So why'd you pick me?"

Jack had shucked his outer shirt, leaving himself in a T-shirt and letting his braces dangle past his hips, and was standing at the kitchen counter whisking eggs and milk together in a bowl. He turned at Kris' question. "What do you mean?"

"I mean back there, in the bar. Can I help?"

"Sure - grab the mushrooms and the tomatoes out of the fridge, they need chopping. Why'd I pick you in the bar?"

"Yeah." She bent over, rummaging in the fridge. Jack craned his neck and gave himself a thumbs-up for having found what had to be the only mechanic with a fantastic bum. "Why'd you pick me out as the person you were with? For all you knew, I could've had a husband, or boyfriend, or a something-else-friend." She winked, straightening up with her hands full of vegetables. "Cutting board?"

"Second drawer by the stove. Well, the reason I picked you out was because I happened to be telling the truth. I really was going to come over to your table."

"Oh?" She lifted an eyebrow, laying the tomatoes out on the board and accepting the knife he handed her.

"Yeah. So at that point, I had to skip all of the charm I'd been planning to use on you, and just hope you'd play along with me..."

"I see."

"Of course, it would've punched a big hole in my plan if you'd been attached otherwise...but everything worked out in the end! And here we are, making omelets."

"And here we are," she laughed. "Making omelets."

"So..." Jack put down the bowl and turned to face her, extending his hand for the second time that night. "I'm Captain Jack Harkness. Pleased to meet you."

Unlike his previous attempt, she took his hand and shook it firmly. "Kris Ballantyne. Nice to meet you, Captain Jack."

He pulled her hand to his lips, planting a kiss on the back, and was happy to see her caught off guard as he slowly dropped her hand. "So, Kris Ballantyne..." he continued, scooping up the tomatoes she'd chopped and dropping them into the bowl of eggs, "what's a nice girl like you doing in a spaceport like this?"

She laughed. "Running the family business. Dad died three years ago and I took over the shop."

"Ship repair?"

"Yeah. I fix all the clunkers that the jockeys bring in - I like it, really."

Jack was digging in the fridge again, bringing out a block of cheddar cheese. "So you're handy to have around."

"You could say that. At least in a bar fight." She gave him a sly grin. "So, now I've told you what I do...what do _you_ do?"

He shrugged. "Right now, I knock around with the Doctor. I'm just a companion, I guess you could say."

"So when you say companion, how disappointed should I be?" Her hands moved, dicing mushrooms, but her eyes slid over to him, and the corner of her mouth quirked up.

She'd stolen his line. She'd _stolen_ his _line_. And what was even better, she didn't know she'd stolen it.

Jack suddenly realized that he liked this woman.

"Not disappointed at all," he answered, winking at her.

"Oh good. I was hoping you'd say that."

He grinned. "I like to...explore...all the wonderful life that the universe has to offer."

"Oh, "explore", is it?"

"Mmm-hmm. That reminds me, I have another question for you."

"Go ahead."

He pulled a cheese grater out of another drawer, and began to scrape cheddar into the bowl. "Why'd that gorilla say that you couldn't get a guy like me?"

"Huh? Oh...Mikey. Well..." She looked uncomfortable. "Everyone knows everyone else's life in a place like this. That was why he said if you were my guy, they'd all know about it." The mushrooms were finished, and she neatly piled them to the side of the cutting board.

"Right...I get that." He dumped the mushrooms into the bowl, stirred the whole thing, and poured it into the pan he'd greased. "Wrong question though."

"And I was hoping you wouldn't notice." She sighed theatrically. "Well...I turned Mikey down awhile back. And I don't really date, anyway, mostly because running a ship repair shop in a spaceport is a little time-consuming. Plus...most guys don't like mechanics. Threatens their manhood or something."

"Ah. So add all those factors together..."

"Precisely."

"Well, good thing that I've got plenty of manhood." He winked again.

Kris grinned - apparently she was also enjoying the verbal sparring. "I've heard that before."

"Want to..._explore_...the proof?"

"Hold on!" When she smiled, her cheeks were like ripe apples. "You need to feed and water your friendly neighborhood mechanic first. _Then_ we'll talk about exploration."

He peeked into the pan, pulling up the edge of the omelet with a spatula - it was going to need a minute before he could flip it. "Well, food should be forthcoming momentarily, but as for watering...I promised you a drink too, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did."

"Champagne?"

"Sounds good!"

A bottle was quickly retrieved from the fridge, opened, and poured. Jack raised his glass. "To Kris...my mechanic in shining armor."

She grinned, lifting her own glass. "To exploration."

-----

"That was delicious. Thank you."

Kris sat back in her chair and patted her stomach, taking another sip of champagne. They'd finished most of the bottle at that point, as well as the omelets, and a basket of cinnamon rolls that Jack had found in one of the cupboards. "I don't think I can move..."

Jack shook his head. "Me neither."

"I'm so full I'm starting to overheat. Hang on." She unzipped her coverall partway, revealing a plain white T-shirt, and tied the sleeves around her waist. "There. Much better."

"Don't stop now, the show's just starting to get good."

She grinned. "Maybe later, Romeo."

_She didn't say no. This is good! _His evening was definitely looking to be an excellent one.

"Come on..." he cajoled. "I'll even go first."

"What? Wait - Jack!" Kris was too late - he'd already casually hauled his T-shirt off, tossing it behind him. She shook her head, laughing between sneaking looks at his bare chest - which he immediately crossed his arms over.

"Nope. No looking till you catch up."

She rolled her eyes, knocking back the last of the champagne in her glass. "Didn't I say later? _Maybe_ later?"

"And it is later. From when you said that. Now come on. Fair's fair!"

Kris considered, then stood up, walking over to him. "Well...you _did_ go first after all..."

"Very true." She was right in front of him. He reached up, grabbing her hand and pulling her down to his lap, eliciting more laughter. Sliding his hands up her sides, he maneuvered her to straddle his legs. _There - that's more like it._ "Hmm. This is much better."

"Better?"

"Than you being all the way on the other side of the table."

His hands at her waist pulled her body forward. She went willingly, expecting to be kissed at that point, but Jack surprised her - instead of her mouth, his lips lightly touched her throat. She let out a soft sigh, body relaxing against him as he explored the soft skin of her neck with his mouth.

Her arms went around him, fingers splaying over his bare back, as he started untying the knotted sleeves of her coverall. When his warm hands slipped beneath the hem of her T-shirt, she shivered...and she was far from cold. "I have to admit, I think it's an - "

"Jack?"

He'd been too busy to notice the sound of footsteps, but it was hard to miss the Doctor appearing in the kitchen doorway, looking like he'd just been running very very fast.

"Improvement," Kris finished. Jack sighed under his breath.

"Yes, Doctor?" He tightened his arms around Kris' waist, preventing her from getting up - as her squirming was indicating she wanted to do. Not that he objected to the squirming...in fact, said squirming was making it rather difficult to listen to what the Doctor was saying. He focused with an effort.

"Who's your friend?"

"Kris Ballantyne. A mechanic from the port. Kris, this is the Doctor."

"Nice to meet you," she replied faintly.

"Ah. Right then. Likewise. Jack, we've got problems."

"Oh good! I like problems."

"Control room. Now." The Doctor added that last rather pointedly. "Meet you there."

Once he'd gone, Kris regarded him suspiciously. "You _like_ problems?"

"When you travel with the Doctor, problems are a way of life. You learn to appreciate them. Come on - let's go."

-------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: **Oooh cliffie! We'd love to know what you thought… Please? Pretty please? We'll give you presents :) Teehee.


	12. Chapter 12

They reached the control room just as the TARDIS began to shake violently. Kris braced herself against one of the railings and held on, as Jack, his shirt back on, leapt over to the center console. "What's going on?" he yelled.

"We've been pulled off the port," the Doctor shouted back. "Grab that lever - pull it down, far as you can!"

He continued, as Jack struggled with the lever. "It's a time wave! I've seen them before - a ripple in the fabric of time! No telling where we're going to end up!"

"What caused it?" Jack had wrenched the lever down and was holding onto it tightly; the TARDIS was now shaking even worse.

"Dunno! I felt the change before it happened - that's why I ran back to the ship - but it could have been any number of things! Oi, you - Kris! Get over here, we need more hands!"

She staggered over to the console, clinging to an edge next to Jack. "What do I do?!"

"Flip that bank of switches all the way to the right!" They all ducked as a shower of sparks exploded. "That's not good. Jack! Get those buffers back online!"

"It's like surfing - cowabunga!" Jack yelled, diving beneath the console with a fistful of wires.

The viewscreen next to Kris was flashing numbers and data at her. "You've got the shocks back, but the temporal buffer is still off-line, Jack!"

"You can read that?" The Doctor looked at her incredulously.

"Why, isn't it in English?" She looked back down at the console. "Do that again, Jack!"

He did whatever it was again, and the temporal buffer flickered briefly to life before dying. "Make that stay!"

"I'm trying! Doctor! Can you give me any more power?"

"Kris, push that purple button and then flip those switches back to the left!"

She did, and the deck hummed with power. A muffled "Ah-ha!" came from beneath the console, and the temporal buffers came back on. Their ride immediately smoothed out.

The Doctor let out a breath, shoving his hair back from his forehead. "Thank you both."

"Don't mention it," Jack said, getting to his feet. "So where - when - did we wind up?"

"Hmmm. We're somewhere in the...Praesepe Cluster. As for when...just a moment, there are still a lot of systems off-line..."

Jack chewed his lip, his brow furrowed. "Praesepe...why do I know that name..."

The viewscreen blinked and the Doctor stared. "Because it's the site of the largest battle of the Second Chula Civil War. Which will be happening...tomorrow."

Jack's mouth dropped open, then closed. "Ah. And what you said about systems being off-line..."

"...means that we have a lot of work to do."

-----

"All right. Jack, you start on the power cells. I'll handle the temporal circuits...if we get those back up, we might be able to at least move back a few days, give ourselves a little breathing room."

"What can I do?" Kris spoke up for the first time.

"You? Er...try and stay out of the way. Sorry about this. Get you home soon as we can."

Jack looked like he was about to say something, but she beat him to it. "Doctor, I don't know if you were paying attention earlier, but I'm a mechanic. Repairing ships is what I _do. _But...if you really don't need another pair of hands, I guess I'll go make tea or something..."

The Doctor looked at her, then slowly grinned. "Right. Give Jack a hand with the power cells - he'll show you how they go together."

-----

The hours ticked away as the three worked. Once Kris had become comfortable enough with the technology of the TARDIS to handle the power cells on her own, Jack had switched to working on the temporal shielding.

It was going rather slowly.

"Aw, hell!" came from underneath the central console, and Jack backed out, wiping soot from his face. "Doctor, half the shielding's completely fried. I don't know what that time wave did to us, but it's going to take weeks to repair all the damage. And we're gonna need parts."

The Doctor was buried in a mass of wires that comprised the temporal circuitry. "Find what you can in the storage bay," he directed. "We've got about another eight hours before the first of the Chula ships show up - work fast."

Jack nodded, and headed down to the storage bays. After he had been gone for about ten minutes, there came a sudden humming from the ship, and the Doctor raised his head, startled. "What was that?"

Kris' hand waved reassuringly from where she was beneath the deck plates. "It's all right! Just one more loose end...there we go!"

The lights in the control room suddenly got a lot brighter, and the Doctor grinned. "You've got all of them back on! We've got full power, well done!"

Kris extracted herself from the deck, looking much grimier than she had when she'd gone down. "Ugh. How often do you clean under there?"

"As soon as we get out of this, I'll render the ship spotless," he promised. "But for now, can you switch over to the spatial modulation unit? It looks like a problem with the power supply...and the TARDIS seems to like you..."

Jack returned about ten minutes later, lugging a crate full of parts. "Thanks, whoever got the lights back on...it's a lot easier to find things when you aren't in the DARK..."

"Depends on the things," Kris called, from where she was half-inside the TARDIS wall. "How big are they?"

Jack was about to answer, when the Doctor added, "What color are they?"

"Do they glow in the dark?"

"Do they taste like anything in particular?"

"You two are a riot," Jack grumbled, stomping back off to the temporal shielding.

-----

Kris scrubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands, and paused to take a swig of coffee. She vowed to make the next pot herself; Jack's coffee tasted like rocket fuel.

None of them had slept yet. The Doctor was still looking all right, but she and Jack were definitely wearing thin around the edges. An hour ago she'd caught herself forgetting to re-ground one of the dimensional inhibitors.

One thing was for sure, she had learned more about alien technology in the past day than she had in the past year...

"We've got an hour left!" the Doctor yelled, startling her from her reverie. Jack's head popped out, once again, from underneath the console.

"What?"

"One hour. The Chula ships are beginning to show up - the opening salvos will be fired in an hour. And we're sitting ducks, right in the middle. We've got to step it up, boys and girls."

Kris plugged the inhibitor series back in, and worked herself out of the wall. "Right then. What do we still need to do?"

Jack stuck his head back out of the console. "We've got to work out how to get power back to the time drives. The central console took the brunt of the damage - it's a mess down here. All the power channels are fused shut."

"Where's that snake cable you brought up with you from your last trip down to the parts bay?"

"Here - right by my leg - but it's not compatible with the time drives..."

"We'll _make_ it compatible," she told him grimly, sitting down next to his legs and peering into the console. "Can you go through that thing that looks like a backup series? Open that up?"

"It is a backup series, sure, but why?"

"Because I'm going to re-calibrate the snake. It's designed to be a fuel line; I'm going to turn it into a power conduit."

Jack's eyes widened as he caught on to her train of thought. "It'll take some time."

"Then you'd better get started." She grinned. "Doctor, are you going to be done with the temporal circuitry by the time we're ready to rock?"

"Rock? Are we going to play music?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes. You're soloing on air guitar. Now about the circuitry?"

"Be done in ten minutes."

"Good. Then can you take over opening the backups from Jack? I need him to help me move those power blocks and hook up the snake."

-----

"Hurry up you two! You've got five minutes!"

"Almost done!" Jack yelled back. "Kris, are you ready? We've got to plug these in simultaneously or we'll fry the boards again!"

"Ready!" she called, from the other side of the wall.

"Okay! Plug six! And five, and four!" He clicked his end of the snake into place, and assumed Kris was doing the same - at least, they hadn't blown anything up yet...

"Plug three! Two! One! That's it, Doctor, let's go!"

He jumped out of the wall, with Kris only a second behind him, and joined the Doctor at the central console as the other man frantically worked the bicycle pump. There were cables and wires all over the place, reflecting the hurried patch-together jobs they had thrown up in their haste.

"Hold on," the Doctor cautioned. "We had to take the shocks off-line, this will be bumpy."

They held on, as he slammed the main levers down. Sure enough, it was a bumpy ride.

When the rattling stopped, Kris peered around cautiously. "We made it?"

"We did," the Doctor confirmed.

Jack said it for all of them. He pumped his fist in the air, yelling "Yes!!!", jumping around the control console and grabbing Kris around the waist, swinging her up into a spinning hug.

When he set her down, she grinned at the men. "I have to say, that was certainly a little more exciting than I thought my next day was going to be."

"Like I said, you learn to appreciate problems when you travel with the Doctor," Jack answered. He dropped one arm, but the other remained around Kris' waist. She found she liked it, and leaned against him. It didn't hurt that the adrenaline was abruptly starting to wear off, and a bone-deep weariness taking its place...

Kris yawned, which Jack echoed. "Do you boys have a guest room I can crash in?"

"By all means." The Doctor was starting to dig around beneath the console again. "It'll take a bit more work before this old box is ready for a landing anyway. Jack, will you show her one of the extra bedrooms?"

"My pleasure." Jack yawned again. "Think I'll get some sleep myself. I'm still enjoying the luxury of it."

-----

"This isn't a guest room."

"Nope."

Kris surveyed the bedroom he had brought her to, full of alien artifacts, art, weaponry and books. And the bed was enormous - seeing that, she glanced at Jack, lifting an eyebrow. He smiled disarmingly.

"Welcome to my humble abode."

"Anything but humble," she murmured. "That bed looks like the best thing in the universe right now."

"Ah, if only every man heard beautiful women say that."

She grinned. "Don't know what _you_ were thinking, lover boy, but _I _need sleep before anything else."

"Hmm. Not even energy for some...exploration?" His hand lightly touched the small of her back, propelling her over to the bed. She shook her head firmly as she sat down, unlacing her boots.

"Nope. Sleep first." As proof, she laid down, still fully clothed, and began to fake-snore very loudly. Jack laughed.

"All right, all right." He crawled onto the bed, laying down behind her and slipping his arm around her waist to tuck her securely against his body. She stiffened. Flirting was one thing, and she knew that about twenty-five hours ago she'd been ready and willing to spend her night having sex with this man...but simple cuddling was a bit of a different animal...

"What is it?" His voice rumbled right next to her ear, making the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

She noticed that his arm felt very good around her waist...and that the bed was probably the most comfortable bed she'd ever lain on. Also that Jack's body was nice and warm...and that it had been a long time since she'd just been held like this..._I think I'm being rather silly._

"Nothing. Twinge in my back - just a little sore from all the work, I think," she murmured. She relaxed her muscles and snuggled back into him, nestling her hips into the cradle of his lap. Jack's arm briefly tightened around her waist, then released.

She was about to ask what he was doing when his hand slid over the curve of her hip and around to her back, Jack himself scooting backwards to get a little space. "Where does it hurt?"

"Um..." Great - now she was stuck. "A little...up?" His hand moved accordingly. "Left a little. A little more. Yeah, right there."

His hand was warm. She could feel it even through her coverall. Gently, he dug his fingers into the area she'd picked as being her backache. "Hmm. Doesn't feel too tense."

"It wasn't bad, just a quick pain. I probably won't even feel anything after some sleep." She was rather distracted from talking by the feeling of his hand continuing its gentle massage. _If I thought that it's been a long time since I got a good cuddle, that's nothing compared to how long it's been since I got anything resembling a backrub._

"All the same...can you do that thing again where you pull your coverall down? It's a little thick and I can't feel the muscle very well."

She gulped. Unless she was mistaken, Jack was offering to give her a backrub. _That's just not fair._ "Aren't you tired?"

"Not yet." She heard, rather than saw, the grin. "You?"

"Not yet," she admitted.

Kris sat up and unzipped her coverall again, opening it to her waist. She didn't bother tying the sleeves up, just letting the garment hang loosely. Jack had sat up as well, and when she'd gotten her clothes adjusted, he put a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back down to the bed.

"Relax," he said softly. Kris swallowed hard.

She felt his hands on her waist first, fingers gathering up the edge of her T-shirt and sliding underneath, seeking upwards for the spot that had been hurting. She caught her breath as he touched a muscle that actually ached. "Mmph..."

"Sorry," he murmured. "You're a little tight down here. I'll try to be careful."

His fingers conducted a gentle, slow exploration of her back, testing for achy spots. When he finished, Jack smiled to himself. "I think you need to lose some more clothes."

Kris was already half-melted into the bed, and he hadn't even really gotten started yet. "Hmm?"

"Is it okay if I take your shirt off?"

"Mm-hmm."

At that point, any faint feelings of discomfort had gone out the window in the face of _BACKRUB._ She helped him by lifting up, settling back down onto her stomach once he'd pulled the shirt off her. A hand slid up her back, stopping about midway.

"Can I...?"

"Yeah."

A soft click, and her bra fell to either side of her back. Hands on her shoulders, smoothing the straps down her arms till she was completely naked from the waist up. She felt him leaning over her.

"I guess we weren't too tired for a little exploration after all," he teased. She laughed softly into the pillow.

Jack's hands started at her shoulders, then began to work their way down, massaging and kneading her tired muscles. She hadn't realized how many achy spots she had developed over the course of the past day. His hands were strong, his touch gentle but firm, pulling the pain out of each sore spot one at a time.

"I really need to keep some massage oil on hand," he murmured.

"Hmm?" Kris' voice was muffled by the pillow.

He raised his voice slightly. "I said, next time we'll do this with some oil and it'll be even better."

"Can't wait," was the muted response. She sounded like she was half-asleep already.

Jack was a little surprised by his choice of words. _Next time?_ As far as he was aware, the little mechanic would be going back to Sirius Port once they could land the TARDIS, and what with all the running around the galaxy, he wasn't likely to be able to see her again any time soon. Which was a pity, really - she was fun. And he had a feeling that they would have been very...very...compatible, as far as the exploration went.

It took him a minute, as he continued massaging, to realize the obvious. _Well, why don't we just bring her along?_

He grinned, making a note to talk to the Doctor first thing when he woke up. Speaking of waking, though...Jack yawned widely. He gave a few last soft strokes to Kris' back, then stood, stripping quickly to T-shirt and briefs.

Kris murmured sleepily as he stretched back out beside her, drawing the covers over them both and pulling her to him. They were cuddled together like a pair of spoons, and he smiled, already feeling sleep beginning to overtake him.

Jacks last thought was that it was rather nice to have another warm body in with him.

-8-8-8-

Kris smiled from where she was still lying with her head in Jack's lap. "You're such a softie."

"Both of 'em are, if you ask me," Rose agreed, poking the Doctor in the ribs. The two men exchanged a long-suffering glance.

"Although I have to say, I was impressed," the Doctor added. "When I ran back onto the TARDIS and found you with a woman on your lap...I knew you could work fast, Jack, but not quite that fast."

"Hey, who said he was doing all the work? I happen to have a certain charm of my own, you know!" Kris chuckled as Jack ruffled her hair.

"Yes, I'd have to say you do."

-8-8-8-

When she woke up, the bed was empty and the side where Jack had been was cold. Kris sat up, pushing her hair back from her face, wondering how long she'd been asleep.

She pulled her boots back on and left the room, prodding her mind into attempting to remember the route they'd taken from the control room. Getting lost about three times, she finally heard Jack's voice, and followed the sound to where she wanted to be.

Jack and the Doctor both looked up from their work as she walked in. "Morning, sleepyhead!"

"How long was I asleep?" she asked, leaning against one of the railings.

"About ten hours," Jack replied. "It's mid-afternoon now, TARDIS time. I got up about six hours ago - I don't need much sleep."

"So I take it you boys have been working busily away while I was snoozing?"

"Yep!" The Doctor looked cheerful. "We've got most of the damage at least temporarily fixed up. We'll need some parts to finish, but we can land back at the port and get you home with no troubles."

"I have plenty of parts at my shop - you're welcome to whatever you need."

"Fantastic!"

"But...before we land...do you have tea on this ship?"

-----

She left to make tea, swearing she'd be able to find her way to the kitchen. After a few minutes of working in silence, Jack turned to the Doctor. "I don't suppose we could..."

"What?"

"Well..." Jack glanced at the empty doorway that Kris had gone through. "She's handy to have around...

"You want to keep her."

"Yeah."

The Doctor considered it a moment, then shrugged. "You're right, she is handy. And the TARDIS likes her; it's already translating for her."

"I'd say that's a good sign we should keep her. And it's nice to have a woman along."

"You would think so."

"You've seen her. Can you blame me?" He grinned. "Let's go talk to her."

-----

The men walked into the kitchen just as the kettle whistled, and Kris lifted it from the stove. "You two want some tea?"

"Yes please."

"Yeah, thanks."

She poured mugs for the three of them, and rummaged in the cupboards until she found a tin of cookies. They took seats around the table, sipping tea as the Doctor asked, "Kris...do you have any plans, for when you go home?"

She shrugged, deliberately not looking at either of the men, for fear that they'd see the desperate hope in her eyes. "Not really. Just the shop..."

Jack grinned. "Come with us, then."

She wasn't able to keep from jerking up and looking at first Jack, then the Doctor. "You mean it? You want me to stay?"

"We need a woman around here, otherwise the testosterone gets too thick. Of course we want you to stay! Right, Doctor?"

"Of course. Does that mean _you_ want to stay?"

She grinned. "Hell yeah. It's a lot more exciting than a ship repair shop."

Jack reached over and took her hand. "In that case, welcome to the TARDIS."

The Doctor smiled as she jumped up from the table and threw herself into Jack's arms - and even though he was still sitting down, they managed a very respectable hug.

She turned to the Doctor, her eyes shining. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Glad to have you on board." He took a big gulp of his tea, seeming happy, but slightly wistful.

"Erm...right." She resolved to ask Jack about the wistfulness later. "Could we stop off at Sirius Port so I can get my things?"

"Of course." The Doctor rose, picking up his tea mug, seeming very happy to have an excuse to leave. "The ship's ready, we can go now."

"Sure, yeah."

As soon as the Doctor had gone, Kris leaned over to Jack. "What was _that_ about?"

Jack sighed. "I guess you do need to know, if you're going to join the crew. I'll tell you everything...but are you in the mood for a _long_ story?"

"Should I take notes?"

"Maybe. But let's wait till you get your stuff, okay? Since we're just going to make a quick stop, we probably won't be going anywhere else tonight, and we'll just surf the vortex through the night cycle. Perfect time for story-telling."

"Deal."

-----

The stop was, as promised, a quick one. While the Doctor poked around her shop, packing up any bits of things that might be useful for working on the TARDIS, Jack accompanied Kris to her small quarters in the port. She was stuffing a duffel bag full of clothes when he wandered into the bedroom, holding a picture from her living room.

"I know the girl is you, so who's the guy?"

She took it from him, already knowing it by the frame. "That's Dad, right before he died. Accident in the shop - engine backfired. Thanks for grabbing this; I wanted to pack it."

Before the mood could get too melancholy, Jack laid a hand on her hip. "Good. Then I don't have to be disappointed...or jealous."

She turned to face him, offering a small smile. "So since I'm coming on board the TARDIS, does that mean we'll have a chance for some of that...exploration...you were talking about earlier?"

Jack grinned, moving in closer and slipping both hands around her waist. "Why wait?"

Their lips were a hair's-breadth apart, when an "Oi!" came from the door. They looked up to see the Doctor in the doorway, carrying a bag crammed full of parts from Kris' shop. As Jack rolled his eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh, the Doctor ignored him and turned to Kris. "Why didn't you tell me the name of your shop before?"

She shrugged. "I...I dunno. I didn't think it was important. You didn't have any problems finding it, did you? My name's right on the door..."

"That's not the issue." He looked at Jack. "Do _you_ know what the name of her shop is?"

"Don't keep me waiting."

"Bad Wolf Ship Repairs," Kris interrupted impatiently. Now she was _really_ confused, as _Jack_ turned and regarded her apprehensively.

"What do you think it means?" He was looking at her, but she had a feeling that the question was directed at the Doctor.

"That you picked the right person to hit on in a bar," the Doctor answered.

-8-8-8-

"Why did you name your shop that, anyway?"

Kris shrugged. "I dunno. I changed the name after Dad died; before that, it was just Ballantyne Repairs. Dad read me a lot of fairy tales when I was growing up, and I always liked the wolf characters. Maybe that was why."

"The small why, anyway," the Doctor put in. "There was a much bigger why at work there."

-8-8-8-

"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" Kris was bristling, becoming rather irritated with the obtuse comments.

Jack put a placatory hand on her arm. "It's okay. You'll understand after that long story I promised you."

"You're going to tell her?"

"She needs to know." Jack glared at the Doctor, and after a moment, the Doctor nodded.

"You're right. Well then," he sighed, "let's get back to the TARDIS. We'll head into the vortex for the night cycle."

-----

She dropped her things in one of the standard bedrooms - nothing exciting, but Jack assured her she could personalize it later. After a quick stop in the kitchen, he led her through the maze of the TARDIS - _how am I ever going to find my way around here? _- to a living room, complete with squashy armchairs, a couch that looked older than both of them combined, and a huge television screen.

Jack flopped down on the couch. He patted the space next to him, but Kris ignored him, knowing very well that if she sat there, in all likelihood they'd get sidetracked before he'd gotten through five minutes of the story. Instead, she curled up in one of the armchairs.

Jack grinned at her, as if he knew precisely what she was thinking, and spread out the provisions they'd picked up in the kitchen. A bag of chips, two cups of coffee and another Thermos full, popcorn, a bag of tiny little chocolate bars...yep, they were settling in for a long night.

She grabbed her coffee, and settled back in the chair. "Okay. Let's have it."

-----

She didn't interrupt much, except to occasionally ask a question, and as promised, he told her everything. The story of Rose, and how she'd met the Doctor. How she'd taken the Time Vortex into herself, and become the Bad Wolf, who creates herself, taking the words and scattering them through time and space. The story of his own death and how the Bad Wolf had given him life - _neverending_ life.

She hadn't known that one, but took it in stride. Jack looked surprised.

"You don't...mind?"

"Should I?"

"I would've expected it."

She shrugged. "You see a lot of weird stuff when you work at a spaceport. Being picked up by a guy who turns out to be immortal is _not_ the strangest thing to ever happen to me. Is that why you don't need much sleep?"

"Actually, I don't need sleep at all. When I'm not on the TARDIS, I _can't_ sleep. When I'm on board, though, the ship does something with the telepathic connection so that I can, if I want to. I've even started to get tired when I'm on the ship - it's a strange feeling."

"Sounds handy to me..."

He laughed at that, and continued with his chronicle. The story of how he'd been left by the TARDIS and made his own way. How the Doctor had taken the Time Vortex from Rose, regenerating in the process and taking on the form that he had at present. The Daleks and the Cybermen, and how Rose - like he himself - had been left behind. The stories of the companions after Rose, and how none of them had lasted...until the Doctor had realized that all he wanted was Rose back, and that he was using his companions to get closer to being able to _get_ her back.

"And that's when he came back for me," Jack finally finished. "Once he found out I was alive, he thought that since I'd actually known Rose...I wouldn't mind working to go back for her, too. Which brings you up-to-date: we've been knocking around for a little while, and now...we've got you too."

"Now I understand why the shop name was a big deal," Kris mumbled.

"Told you you would."

"So what happens now? We just keep traveling around, trying to find a way to get into this parallel universe that she's stuck in?"

"And along the way we see all kinds of interesting places, meet new people, do new things..." He paused, grinning at her. "Conduct...exploration..."

She laughed. "Do you think about anything besides sex?"

"Only occasionally. But I'm so charming that I get away with it."

Kris yawned, and stretched. "Well, now that the big confession is over...I think I need to get some sleep. If we're to keep going on this quest of the Doctor's, it's a good thing to be well-rested, and I'm still worn out from that day-long repair marathon."

-----

He helped her find the room where she'd deposited her stuff, and stood outside the door with her. Neither of them really wanted to say goodnight. "Shall I come by in the morning? Help you find the kitchen again?"

"Yeah - that'd be good. I think I'm starting to remember, but an escort would be nice." She shuffled her feet, stuffed her hands into her pockets. "Well...goodnight, Jack..."

"Don't I get a goodnight kiss?"

"Last I checked, I wasn't your mother, but all right." She stretched up on tiptoe, and planted a chaste peck on his cheek. "There you are. Sleep tight."

Jack gave her a look that said he knew very well what she'd just done. "Don't you want one too?"

She had a sneaking suspicion that he was not going to be giving her a chaste peck on the cheek. "Maybe."

"Maybe I can convince you..."

His hand slid into her hair, and his other hand cupped the side of her face. As his face moved closer, she closed her eyes, expecting to feel lips on her own...but instead, she felt breath. Warm breath, feathering back and forth across her mouth. Then something warm and wet - was he _licking_ her lips? Then the breath again, drying the moisture and sending tingles from her mouth all the way down her spine...she could swear that her toes were curling inside her boots...

"Would you like a goodnight kiss, Kris?"

"Yes," she whispered.

Jack Harkness knew how to kiss. And he proved it.

This time her toes _definitely_ curled inside her boots. As their lips met, he applied gentle pressure, capturing her lower lip between both of his and nipping it lightly. She nipped back at his upper lip, and he smiled, feeling her hands rest lightly on his arms. He pulled her face closer and deepened the kiss, licking at her lips again until her mouth opened for him, and his tongue delved inside. She tasted of coffee and chocolate...a heady combination.

They backed off simultaneously, driven by the need for air, and Jack gave her a roguish grin. "So, did I do a good enough job that that won't actually be a 'goodnight' kiss?"

She squeezed his arms and stepped back, opening the door to her bedroom. "Not yet...but I'm willing to let you give it another shot soon. Goodnight, Jack."

The door closed, and Jack stood for a moment. Then he laughed as he turned, sauntering down the hall to his room. It was going to be a very interesting time on the TARDIS.

-----------------------------------------

**A/N: **Ooh we're getting to all the good stuff now! Please stick with it, and let us know what you think ;)


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews and support so far everybody :) We really appreciate it. Enjoy the chapter! It sort of contains spoilers for Gridlock, but it's nothing that isn't already common knowledge.

-----------------------------------

"So, Doctor, what were you doing all that time we were talking and unfortunately not going beyond a goodnight kiss?" Jack asked as he lay back and stretched out in the springy grass, the sun shining through the leaves of the huge old tree to dapple over his shirt.

The Doctor shrugged unconvincingly. "Can't remember," he said vaguely.

"Oh really." Jack didn't sound like he bought that excuse.

Rose poked him as she sat between his legs, leaning against his chest. "What were you doing?"

"I don't know!" the Doctor replied. He stared at the ground. "But I definitely wasn't eavesdropping on your conversation through the TARDIS monitors," he mumbled sheepishly. "I might have been asleep." He coughed suspiciously, as though that would make his misdemeanour go away.

Jack laughed. "Voyeur."

The Doctor at least had the good grace to look reprimanded. "So, Rose," he said by way of (very obvious) distraction. "Why don't you tell us about some of what happened in the parallel universe? You must have some stories to tell about Torchwood!"

"I'd rather hear more of your story," she protested. "It's much more interesting than mine and besides, if I couldn't be there living it with you then I want to live vicariously through you." She grinned, looking over to appeal to Jack and Kris. "Tell me more?" she requested.

Jack grinned. "Sure, sweetheart. Sit back and relax and Uncle Jack will tell you the story of our visit to New Earth."

-8-8-8-

For about two weeks after Kris joined the TARDIS crew, the three of them drifted around the universe making repairs to the console with the parts from Kris' shop and indulging Jack in his desire to find the best hot chocolate in the universe- outside of Starbucks, of course.

It was on one of these little jaunts that the Doctor remarked he and Rose had had a particularly good hot chocolate on New Earth when they were done delivering Cassandra/Chip back to where she belonged. He told Jack and Kris how they had sat at a table just outside a small café and watched the people milling around, content that they had succeeded in saving the world once again. However, he left out the part where he had watched Rose's mouth intently for almost the whole time they were there, unable to shake the memory of her kissing him whilst she had been possessed by Cassandra. He also didn't tell them that he had almost given in and kissed her for real that night. He didn't want them to know how much he regretted the fact that he had let that chance pass him by.

Jack had decided that they should go back there to check out the Doctor's claim. And so, an hour later they were arriving on New Earth only to find out that it was highly different to the last time the Doctor had been there.

The vitality and the light had gone from the city of New New York to be replaced by something dark and ugly. They had discovered that what was left of the planet's population was residing in what was essentially an underground motorway, living out their lives in pollution and squalor.

After spending some time saving the world (as per usual), the Doctor had come face to face with the Face of Boe.

-8-8-8-

"The Face of Boe?" Rose said. "What happened?"

The Doctor looked her in the eye. "He had a message for me."

"What was it?" she asked quietly.

-8-8-8-

"You are not alone," the Face of Boe had told him.

He hadn't known what he could possibly mean, and he still had no clue even though they were now back in the TARDIS floating through the Vortex.

Sure, the Doctor mused, there was Jack, who couldn't die. And he wasn't alone in the sense that he was travelling around by himself in the way he had after he had just lost Rose. _Rose…_ He thought that if Rose had been there when the Face of Boe had shared his secret then he might have allowed himself to believe it, even just a little bit. He had never felt alone when she was there with him. She filled up the corridors of the TARDIS with energy and had pumped life back into his weary old soul.

But as it was, she wasn't there. And all the prophecy had done was to remind him just how alone he really was. He was still the last of the Time Lords. He was still by himself in that respect, and as far as he could tell, that was the way it was always going to be. He would know if there were any others left.

And now he was feeling slightly isolated in his own ship. As happy as he was for Jack and Kris in their new-found relationship, he couldn't help the fact that seeing them together emphasised the Rose-shaped hole in his life, and how his hand felt cold and empty without hers wrapped around it. But he knew he could never begrudge Jack his happiness; the man had gone to hell and back because of him. And he liked Kris. She was handy to have around and she seemed to understand his sense of humour. Plus the TARDIS always liked having another female around. He could never forget the time when the TARDIS' presence had disappeared from his head for a while and he had spent ages digging around to find it again until he finally located it in Rose's room, the two of them watching some rubbishy chick flick from the twenty-first century. She was definitely a girl's girl, was his spaceship.

He sighed and decided that the best thing to do would be to ignore the sense of aching loss inside him, much the way he always did. If he somehow stumbled across the reasoning behind the Face of Boe's declaration on his travels, then so be it. He hated to admit it to himself but he had somewhat gotten used to the lonely life of travelling around infinite space, saving planets and people but never staying long before he was off again on the next adventure.

_The one adventure I can never have,_ he had said to Rose on that beach in Norway, in reference to the ordinary life he had trapped her in. He didn't dare contemplate just how appealing that life had sounded. The thought of living out his days with her, being happy with her, was something he could only think of in his dreams. But that didn't stop him from sometimes wishing that those dreams were real.

-8-8-8-

"God, I'm sorry, Doctor," Jack said. A light breeze blew and ruffled his hair, the sweet scent of the flowers washing over them all. "We didn't mean to make you feel left out."

"It wasn't your fault," the Doctor said immediately. "I was happy for you." He smiled at the two people sprawled opposite them. "Still am."

"You know what I always wondered?" Kris said, the twitch at the corner of her mouth suggesting that it wasn't an entirely serious question.

"What?" Jack indulged.

She giggled. "Where's the rest of Boe? I mean, we saw his face, but what about the rest of his body?"

"I always wanted to know that," Rose said. "Like where is the Leg of Boe, for example? Or his arm?"

Kris grinned at her. "Is the rest of Boe's anatomy along the same proportions as his face?"

The two of them erupted into giggles, the Doctor and Jack looking at each other over their heads. "Women," Jack mouthed. The Doctor nodded sagely as though that explained all of life's greatest mysteries.

-8-8-8-

They had gone to a seafood restaurant in the Stargon Quadrant after an unsuccessful trip attempting to trace a reference to the Court of Appeal in the religious writings of some obscure scholar who thought that Judgement Day could be averted if mankind could plead its case well enough. After much research it emerged that the scholar was merely being theoretical, and that his ideas had no rational or scientific grounding whatsoever.

This did not sit well with the Doctor. He had ranted about going round in circles throughout their stuffed shrimp appetiser, leaving Jack and Kris unable to get a word in edgeways. He had decided that the universe was most definitely conspiring against him at the moment; not only was it being unhelpful in finding out how to get to the Court of Appeal without dying by getting pulled into the Void, but his hair was seriously misbehaving at the moment. The Doctor decided that today was really not a very good day at all, despite the fact that the restaurant they were in was pretty good.

"Some more clues from the Bad Wolf might be nice," he mumbled to his forkful of calamari. "Haven't had one of those for a while."

"I think he's finally lost it," Jack murmured to Kris as they watched the Doctor ramble on to his plate. "He's talking to fried seafood as though it's some kind of counsellor."

"I lost it a long time ago, Jack," the Doctor told him unexpectedly. "Her name's Rose and I lost her. I think I lost _it_ about the same time."

Their table fell silent for a while. Deciding that the quiet had gone on long enough, Kris finally cleared her throat and looked between Jack and the Doctor. "Well, maybe we're looking in the wrong place," she started.

The Doctor chuffed out a sarcastic laugh. "You think?" he said sardonically.

"Let me finish."

Jack looked at her appreciatively. _Not afraid to stand up to the all-mighty Time Lord,_ he thought. _Definitely my type of woman._

"We keep following all these clues, right?" Kris continued, waiting until the Doctor nodded before she carried on. "We run across the universe chasing vague references in books and papers, chasing some symbol that may or may not be what we're looking for. We don't know for definite that what we're doing is right. So my point is this: why keep looking so hard?"

"You know why-" the Doctor interjected, eyes blazing for a moment.

"Yeah, I know," she replied. "But like you say Doctor, we just keep going round and round in circles. So why not wait until something comes to us instead? You say this Bad Wolf keeps showing up in places, that you can't predict where it's going to be?"

He nodded.

"Well, my theory is that we'll never find it if we search for it in the way that we are. If this Rose is as brilliant as you say, I'm sure she'll have arranged all the Bad Wolf references to lead you to the right place eventually. It's all out there in the stars, Doctor. We just need to wait until the right time to find it. She'll be looking out for you, I'm sure. Everything will be taken care of already, ready for you to find. Have a little faith in her."

The Doctor thought for a moment. Eventually he nodded, saying, "Of course. You're right. It's all out there. It must be." He turned to Jack and smiled softly. "Hang on to her, Jack," he told him. "She's a good one."

-8-8-8-

They went back to the TARDIS that night slightly less stressed but all the more puzzled as to how they were to achieve their aims. Knowing that there was nothing more they could do until they had all rested and set their heads right, the Doctor started the dematerialisation sequence with Jack's help, pointing out which buttons to press. He had decided that it would make sense for his companions to learn a bit about flying the TARDIS; after all, he was hoping that they'd be sticking around for a while.

They were all just leaving the console room for the night when the TARDIS lurched suddenly to the left. A siren went off on the console, and a warning light started flashing.

Two seconds later the three of them were back in the centre of the room, looking at screens to try and determine what was wrong. They all gripped the edge of the console hard as the TARDIS jerked again.

"Doctor, what is it?" Jack yelled.

"It's a transtemporal object attached onto the TARDIS' sensors to mould the Time Rotor to be attracted to its own weight, structure, shape, size and mass," the Doctor replied as he pulled a lever down, pulled on a wire and read the monitor at the same time.

"Which means what?" Kris asked as she grabbed the end of the wire the Doctor had just handed to her.

"It means we're…. Oh!" He jumped back as the console sparked and burned his hand. He stroked the metal soothingly. "Shh, girl," he whispered to the machine. "Calm down."

Apparently the TARDIS was listening to him, for almost immediately the violent shaking stopped, the lights stopped flashing and the siren ceased to wail. The Doctor smiled triumphantly. "It means we're following something," he told them

"Following what?" That was Kris.

He shrugged. "Dunno. Could be anything. Could be nothing. But I do know that we're going somewhere."

"Where?" Jack asked, slightly out of breath.

The Doctor studied the screen for a moment. He turned back to them and grinned widely, the excitement of a new and unknown adventure shining in his eyes. "America!"

------------------------------

**A/N:** Nice little adventure coming up in the next couple of chapters ;) Please review!


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Nice long chapter for you today :) Enjoy!

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"I've always wanted to go to America," Rose murmured. "Seemed like such an interesting place."

"We crash-landed in 1776," Jack added. "Middle of the night, there, so we decided that the most sensible thing to do was to get some sleep and attack the town first thing in the morning. And wouldn't you know it, the Declaration of Independence was about to be approved, and we all thought that'd be a fine way to start our day."

"After coffee, of course." Kris grinned. "Even then I knew better than to do ANYTHING before you'd had a potful..."

-8-8-8-

Kris had woken, showered, and dressed in her usual T-shirt, mechanic's coverall, and boots, and was in the kitchen fixing coffee and breakfast for herself. Any minute now, Jack was going to stumble in, bleary-eyed, and give her a hug and possibly a neck-nuzzle before drinking half the coffeepot.

It'd been two weeks. She was getting the routine down.

Two weeks. In that time, she'd been stuck in a sewer, seen a baby Raxacoricofallapatorian (which shouldn't have been cute by any stretch of the imagination), run for her life from a squadron of at least twenty guards, climbed a blue tree to escape said guards, eaten hallucinatory chocolate and been convinced that Jack had somehow turned into a chicken, gone to a concert that was entirely composed of color, gotten into a shouting match with the Doctor about the broken chameleon circuit, and learned how to curse in seven different languages. As the Doctor had said, while teaching her vocabulary that sounded like she was gargling with a mix of gravel and motor oil, _only four billion, nine hundred ninety-nine million, nine hundred ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-two to go!_

She was looking forward to it.

And then, of course, there were the kisses.

Not every night. But whenever the crew slept on the TARDIS, Jack would inevitably walk her to her room whenever she said she was going to bed. Sometimes - like last night - he'd forcibly drag her away from whatever she was working on, because HE was tired (which only happened on the TARDIS anyway) and didn't want to miss their ritual.

They would walk to her room. They would stand outside the door, and he would ask for a goodnight kiss. She would repeat her actions of the first time: a chaste peck on the cheek, very quick, hardly brushing his skin with her lips.

And then he would kiss her. Each time, the kiss was longer and more passionate: last night, they'd been standing outside her door for nearly ten minutes, mouths locked together. He'd shoved her up against the wall, pinning her with his body, and she'd felt more possessed, more _taken_, than in most of her previous sexual encounters. And this was just with a kiss.

Whenever they did finally shag, she was expecting to lose brain cells. Large amounts of them.

And somewhere in the midst of all of it...the kisses, the adventures, the languages and chocolate and constant tinkering with the TARDIS...the bond between them had only grown stronger.

That bond. Whatever it was that had been forged between them in the Sirius Port bar, fighting back-to-back against a crowd of space jockeys. Whatever spark had been struck, they had nurtured almost unknowingly, until it seemed natural that they would hold hands sometimes while walking down the street of a new planet. Natural for all those goodnight kisses. Natural that he assumed the right to touch her, kiss her, as a matter of course.

She _liked_ him. Not just the rakish smile and the hair that always looked just a little _too _mussed up, and the muscled body and the strangely charming period military clothes. No...it was all of those things, but really, she liked _him._ Captain Jack Harkness.

Kris smiled to herself and sipped her coffee. Jack was a flirt: she got that part. The woman - or man, she thought wryly - who didn't get it could never hold him. It was part and parcel of the package, and anyone who tried to put any sort of chain on Jack would shortly find themselves holding an empty leash.

But she liked him. And he liked her. There was certainly plenty of chemistry between them. And she thought...perhaps...he had begun, just in the past week or so, to act possessive of her.

Small things, really.

The arm around her waist, drawing her firmly to his side as they'd been given a tour of the monastery on Lina IV, by that rather handsome monk.

The way he always managed to sit next to her, whether they were eating on the TARDIS, attending an outdoor Chromatics concert on Sibil Prime, or relaxing on the black sand beaches of Regulosa.

The touching. That was what it all boiled down to: his hands. On her. Constantly.

Not that she was complaining.

Honestly, it was rather cute. And she quite liked the little tactile contacts: a hand on the small of her back, or on her shoulder, or stroking her hair as he walked up beside her.

_It's the chains we put on ourselves, without even realizing it, that hold us the strongest of all._

And before she could go any farther along that particular path, the object of her thoughts appeared in the doorway, unshaven and disheveled, wearing flannel pants and no shirt.

"Morning," she greeted him cheerfully. She received a bleary glare in return.

"Grfltyzltpg," Jack mumbled. He stumbled over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing her in for their morning hug, warm face nuzzling into her neck. She grinned, already reaching for the coffeepot, shoving it into his hand as he let her go. He began drinking straight from the pot.

Just another normal morning on the TARDIS.

-8-8-8-

It was Jack's turn to fall back into the flowers, laughing fit to burst, while Kris turned the color of a boiled lobster.

"I think this is really healthy for their relationship," the Doctor stage-whispered to Rose.

"I'd tend to agree, that is assuming I don't burst a blood vessel in my FACE..." Kris muttered.

Jack sat up, gasping for air, and patted Kris reassuringly on the shoulder. "You know, I do remember that morning pretty well. If it makes you feel any better..."

-8-8-8-

Jack lifted his hand to his nose. He inhaled deeply.

And then realized what he was doing.

Warm water cascaded around him, washing soap from his skin, as his eyes flew open and he stared at his hand, which was still directly in front of his face.

He'd been smelling her.

Kris.

Her scent on his hand.

He sniffed, experimentally. Yep. No doubt about it. He'd lightly touched her hair as he'd gotten up from breakfast, on his way to his room to shower...and there it was, the faint smell of her shampoo clinging to his fingers.

_Jack, you're in trouble._

The little mechanic had gotten under his skin; he'd been aware of that one, but couldn't stop himself. Didn't really want to. He'd been the one who'd wanted to keep her, but he'd had no idea how far it was going to go.

_Far enough to where I'm smelling my hand in the shower. _

He shoved his other hand through his hair, scattering water droplets everywhere. He glanced down at the hand with Kris' smell on it, hesitantly looked at his shampoo, and then with an exasperated sigh, squeezed out a dollop and began lathering his hair...scrubbing away the feminine scent on his hand in the process, and resolutely ignoring the little voice in his head that was disappointed at losing that small piece of Kris.

_I'll just touch her again when I see her. I know that, and you do too,_ he admonished the voice.

The voice was unappeased.

_Great. Now I'm talking to myself._

Jack sighed, tilting his head back and beginning to rinse his hair. He _liked_ Kris, that was the problem. Or maybe it wasn't a problem. Why would it be? He liked her, she liked him, they were compatible...nope, no problem as far as he could see.

Except...

He didn't know.

There was something. Something different.

Maybe it was just that he couldn't seem to stop touching her. It was like she had magnets under her skin, tuned specifically to his hands. He couldn't see her without wanting to touch her in some way, whether it was brushing his fingers across the back of her neck, or shoving her against whatever wall was handy and kissing her until both their heads were reeling.

Not that he was complaining.

Honestly, he rather liked the impulses. The drive to touch and the wanting to be touched in return.

_That_ was what was different.

He wasn't so broken any more. He was fixed...or at least in the process of being fixed. Enough, anyway, to feel that connection to another person. Wanting and being wanted. Maybe even...his mind shied away from the thought..._needing._ And being needed.

Between Kris and the Doctor, somehow...some way...they'd started to repair him.

_It would've taken a mechanic to do it. And the right kind of Doctor. And that's just what I found._

Jack smiled, giving himself a firm pat on the back as he stepped out of the shower and began to dry off. Kris had asked him to stop by her room and help her get ready...and who was he to refuse a lady in dis-dress?

-8-8-8-

"Awww..." Rose and Kris chimed in perfect unison. The Doctor and Jack rolled their eyes, also in perfect unison.

Jack coughed. "Anyway, can we get back to the story here? Philadelphia, 1776, late morning on the day that the Declaration of Independence was being approved..."

-8-8-8-

The crew exited the TARDIS together, Jack and Kris having changed into appropriate period clothing, as the Doctor began lecturing on the history of what they were about to see. "Tiny little moment in time, but it's bloody amazing what came from this...the Constitution of the First Great and Bountiful Human Empire was directly drawn from..."

"Doctor," Kris interrupted, "can we save the history lecture for afterwards? Right now I just want to...savor the moment." She tried to inhale, ribs constrained by the corset she was wearing underneath her gown, which Jack had helpfully laced her into. "That is, if I can savor anything without breathing..."

"I'm kind of looking forward to this too," Jack put in. "The first time I tried to come and watch, I wound up getting arrested."

"Why does that not surprise me?" This from the Doctor, who ignored the look Jack sent his way.

"Come on, give me a _little_ credit..."

"You know, it doesn't surprise me either," Kris added.

Jack sulked all the way to Independence Hall.

-----

"Hello! If you'll examine this piece of paper, you'll see that we're representatives from the Colony of Georgia, here to observe and document the proceedings."

The gentleman at the door peered at the psychic paper the Doctor was extending. "Well, everything seems to be in order..."

"Of course!" Jack clapped the man heartily on the shoulder, then lowered his voice confidentially. "Press, you know? Best not to get involved."

"The _press_!" This seemed to forge a previously unthought connection in the doorman's mind. "Oh my goodness..."

Jack frowned, looking at first one side, then the other, of the man's face. "Tell me...have _you_ ever considered giving interviews? You're quite, um...portrait-o-genic..."

"Come on, gentlemen." Kris firmly took both their arms before Jack got carried away. "Let's not take up any more of this fellow's time..."

-----

"Look like press," the Doctor hissed, as they entered the actual hall, and a hush fell over the assembled delegates.

"What does press look like?"

Kris was too late, as the Doctor raised his voice and repeated what he'd said at the door, flashing the psychic paper once again. The delegates looked confused, and they heard one mumble, "I didn't think we'd opened this to the newspapers..."

"We'll just sit over here, shall we?" The Doctor led them over to a row of chairs arranged near a wall. "Carry on, gentlemen..."

"Why are we from Georgia?" Kris whispered, as they took their seats, and the buzz of conversation rose around them.

"Farthest away," the Doctor whispered back. "Thought they'd just pass off anything strange as being a southern thing."

"Good plan."

"Hey!" Jack hissed. "Shut up, you two! They're calling for a vote!"

-----

A mostly bald, rotund man, with grey hair flowing down the back of his coat collar and tiny round spectacles stood.

"Here it comes," whispered the Doctor.

"Gentlemen, before we vote to approve this document, I shall say this: we must all hang together...or assuredly, we shall all hang separately."

Kris smiled, reaching to her side and fumbling for Jack's hand. He took hers, folding their fingers together. "Benjamin Franklin," she whispered. "So he actually said it."

The vote was cast: six votes in favor, two opposed, four undecided, and one abstention.

Jack and Kris looked at each other. The Doctor started counting on his fingers.

"What happened?"

The Congress was mulling about - John Hancock was saying something very loudly, but they ignored him (as the Congress also seemed to be doing).

"Doctor? What happened?"

"I'm not sure." He looked up, a deeply troubled expression on his face. "But whoever managed to influence those delegates just changed thousands of years of history, rippling throughout time. Mankind might never have gotten off the planet if it weren't for the United States of America." He thought for a moment. "We've got to talk to someone that voted no when they should have voted yes. Find out what's different. Come on!"

-----

The Doctor racked his memory as they got up and began to work their way through the crowd. "Maryland! They should have voted yes, but they voted undecided. And we should talk to...that man!" He pointed.

"Who is it?"

"Thomas Stone. One of the signers of the Declaration for Maryland."

"Well, let's go over there and..."

"Wait." The Doctor put a hand on Jack's shoulder. "If someone's influenced these men into changing their votes - scared them enough that they'll abandon the pursuit of treason half done, for which they'll most assuredly die - then they're still probably very scared. We need to do this with a bit more finesse."

Kris lifted her eyebrows. "Why are you both looking at me?"

-----

"Mr Stone, isn't it? I'm Captain Harkness, and this is my wife...Kristine."

Thomas Stone looked startled, but remembered his manners in the presence of a lady all the same. Kris presented her gloved hand, and he bowed over it. "A pleasure, Captain, Mrs. Harkness."

She decided that it was not an appropriate time or place to become weirded out at someone calling her _Mrs. Harkness._ "The pleasure is ours, Mr. Stone. I must confess, I'm fascinated by the proceedings here...our associate, Doctor Smith, is here to observe, and he very kindly invited us along..."

"Ah, yes, it is fascinating." He smiled. "Who knows what will happen now, with the Congress denying approval of Jefferson's document..."

"Yes, about that," Jack broke in. "We'd heard - military rumor, you understand - that the Congress would surely approve it. Any idea what happened?"

"Er...well, it's really not my place to say, you know..." He stuck a finger in his neckcloth, loosening it and looking incredibly uncomfortable.

_Time for a woman's touch._ "Mr Stone, where are our manners? Jack, honestly. Of course you'll dine with us?"

"Well...madam, I really should..."

"Nonsense!" The Doctor grabbed Stone's arm and began firmly escorting him out of the building. "Congress is in recess, and all that voting gives a man an appetite!"

-----

"So...I must admit, it's completely slipped my mind...which regiment did you say you were with, Captain Harkness?"

"I didn't." Jack took a hearty swallow of his pewter mug of ale. The remains of a large meal lay on the table before them, courtesy of more flashing of the Doctor's psychic paper. For the past hour, the talk had solely been focused on Jack's entirely fictitious military career, and Kris had spent it delicately sipping her water and trying not to look bored.

"But," he added, "I'm with the Second Connecticut - also known as the 17th Continental."

"Ah! So you serve under General Greene?"

"Indeed." Jack took another gulp of ale, enjoying the yeasty, malted flavor.

Kris resolved to later ask Jack where in the seven hells he was pulling all this knowledge of 18th-century military structure from. "Mr Stone, pardon me for interrupting, but I'm most awfully curious..."

"Oh! Mrs. Harkness, do forgive us." Stone chuckled. "Men and guns, you know, it does tend to get away with one..."

"Of course." She smiled prettily at him. "With my husband in the army, I have extensive experience with it."

"Of course you do. Now, what was it you were curious about?"

"Well...I certainly shouldn't repeat any of this, but several of my husband's colleagues had mentioned..." She paused, wondering if she was going out on too slender a limb. The Doctor and Jack were watching her, clearly confused as to what she was planning.

"Go on, my dear." She'd forgotten about Stone.

"Yes, they had mentioned...being approached by certain parties, in regards to the upcoming session of Congress..."

She had no clue what she was going to say after that. Luckily, she didn't need to.

All the color drained from Stone's face, and beads of sweat instantly popped out on his forehead. "You know!" he gasped.

Jack leaned forward and grabbed the man's sleeve - probably a wise precaution, as he looked like he was about to bolt. "That's why we're here, Mr. Stone."

"I'm sorry, I can't talk about this...I must...yes, quite late..."

He got up before they could stop him, wrenching his arm from Jack and racing out into the street. The TARDIS crew looked at one another.

"Well, we do know one thing now."

"What?"

"That someone's been interfering with the delegates," the Doctor said grimly. "And that - "

He was interrupted by a faint scream from outside.

They exchanged a split second glance, and then as one, the three bolted from their chairs.

-----

The Doctor skidded to a halt outside the tavern doors, seeing a body in the street. He didn't have to look at the face to know who it was - the coat, and the spreading pool of blood, told him surely enough.

"Stone," he said softly.

Jack and Kris ran up behind him, stopping and then following more slowly into the street.

"He wouldn't be dead if we hadn't taken him to that tavern," the Doctor murmured, coming up to the body. It was then that he caught sight of the very frightened girl standing by the side of the road.

In an instant he was beside her, leaving Jack and Kris to look at Stone's body. "Did you see anything?"

She was already crying. At his words, she only sobbed harder, seeming to draw herself into her cloak. He sighed.

"Miss, I know you're frightened, and I'm sorry for whatever you saw, but I really do need to know..."

"Doctor," a female voice interrupted. He turned, finding Kris standing behind him.

"I think," she continued, "that I may be of some help here. Perhaps you could go speak to Jack for a moment?"

The cadence of her speech caught him off guard for a minute, until he realized that she was speaking like a woman of the 18th century, for the stranger's benefit. He nodded. "Of course."

-----

The Doctor drew away, and Kris gently put her hand on the other woman's shoulder. "It's all right. We're here to help you."

As she'd thought, the simple presence of a woman was comforting, and the girl in the brown cloak began to calm down, her sobs fading to occasional whimpers. "I saw 'em, miss..."

"Who did you see?"

"Those men. Come out of nowhere, they did, and grabbed the gen'nleman. Stabbed 'im right quick, and were gone, jus' like that." Her voice had begun shaking again, and Kris tightened her hand.

"Calm down. It's all right. What's your name?"

She sniffled. "Betty, miss."

"I'm Mrs. Harkness." _Now I'm calling _myself_ Mrs. Harkness. It just keeps getting better._ "That man over there in the uniform is my husband, Captain Jack Harkness of the 17th Continental. You can trust us - we'll keep you safe."

"'Oo's that other man there? The one you were callin' 'Doctor'."

"That's Doctor Smith. An associate of ours, from Georgia."

"Oh." Betty seemed to relax even more. "Well, I suppose that's all right then, miss. You bein' married to a military man, 'n' all."

_I haven't the faintest idea of what she's talking about, but all right._ "Betty. Did you see anything else? Anything at all that might help us find those men?"

"Wotcher want to find them for?" She looked scared all over again. "They's trouble, miss, and no mistakin' it!"

"I know, but Mr Stone was our friend. We need to find the men that killed him. Can you remember anything else?" She squeezed the woman's shoulder encouragingly. "Try, Betty."

The girl glanced back and forth along the street, then drew closer to Kris. "You'll think me off my rocker, miss."

"Try me," Kris replied dryly.

"Well...they 'ad this thing that glowed blue, miss. Like a candle, onny it was blue, see? An' it were tiny, like a pocketwatch, That's all I saw of it, I'm sorry, miss."

"Is that what they stabbed Mr Stone with?"

"No, miss." She gulped. "It were a knife that they done that with. I saw that."

"Where were you heading, Betty, before you saw Mr Stone being attacked?"

"I were going to work, miss. I 'elps with the washin' up at the tavern, just there." She indicated the building they'd just left.

"All right. We'll take you to the tavern and make sure you're safe - and then we'll find those men. Do you believe me?"

"Yes miss." Betty darted a quick glance at Jack and the Doctor. "Those men there - they'll take care of you?"

"Of course." Kris smiled, thinking that she'd probably end up taking care of _them_, but that would just confuse this girl. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes, miss. An'...an' thank you. For speakin' kind to me, an' all."

-----

As Kris debriefed the girl who'd witnessed the attack, Jack and the Doctor bent over Stone's body.

"Well, it's a knife wound," the Doctor murmured. "I want to get the body back to the TARDIS - I might be able to figure out who killed him."

"It's you and me doing the hauling then, Doctor - body-snatching's a hanging offense in this time. I doubt we'll find any strong lads to give us a hand." Jack grinned. "But I'm up for it. Where's my wife?"

The Doctor looked behind him. "Still talking to our witness. We'll give her another minute or two and see if she finishes." He shook his head. "You with a wife..."

"Hey, you were the one who pointed out that no one was going to take Kris seriously unless she was a respectable married woman." He looked over his shoulder. "It looks like she's making progress."

"This was a rush job," the Doctor frowned. "Look - he's still got his boots on. In this time period good boots were a rarity. And he still has his purse."

"So they didn't want money. And you think they killed him because of us?"

"I'm certain of it. Someone must have seen us take him into that tavern and just stayed outside, waiting, knowing we'd have to come out eventually."

"Well..."

Whatever Jack had been about to say, he quickly cut off, as Kris walked over with their eyewitness.

"Jack, Doctor Smith, I'd like you to meet Betty. She works in the tavern just there - I told her we'd walk her over, make sure she's safe."

"Of course." The Doctor stood and offered his arm, which Betty timidly took. "May I see you to the door, ma'am? Jack, Kristine, I'll just be a moment."

-----

Once the Doctor had gone, Jack murmured, "Did you get anything out of her?"

"A little bit. Let me save it till the Doctor comes back - then I won't have to tell it twice."

"All right." He smiled, placing his hands on her tightly nipped-in waist. "Gives me a bit more time to enjoy my husbandly privileges."

"You know, I could've decided to be married to the Doctor."

"A 900-year old alien?"

"And you're an immortal 51st-century criminal. You think I made the right choice?"

"Absolutely." He bent, brushing his lips over hers. "Mrs. Harkness."

She laughed. "Fine, but I get half your assets."

As Jack grinned, she realized what she'd said, and groaned. "Never mind..."

-----

Somehow, they managed to get the body back to the TARDIS without attracting a great deal of attention. The Doctor had thrown his trenchcoat over Stone's bloodstained back, and when the odd curious passer-by commented, Jack had grunted something about too much ale. This seemed to be both a good excuse, and a deterrent to further conversation.

Kris was clawing at her back the moment they stepped into the TARDIS. "Jack, unlace me! I need to breathe!"

"Hang on," he huffed, bending down along with the Doctor to lay the body on the TARDIS floor. "There we go. Damn! What do they feed people in this time? I felt like I was hauling an ox around."

Kris whimpered, pointing to her laces, and Jack immediately set about undoing them. A moment later he dropped the corset to the floor, and Kris fell into his arms, breathing heavily and letting her chest expand fully underneath her thin cotton camisole.

"That's a better feeling than sex."

"Hey!"

"What?" She grinned. "You haven't given me anything to compare to yet. In fact, you should be happy; I've provided you with a benchmark."

Jack winked at her. "Easy."

The Doctor was bending over Stone's body again, sonic screwdriver in hand. "There's a time and a place, you two..."

"Yeah. Here and now," Kris shot back. Jack laughed, stripping his uniform coat off and hanging it over one of the railings.

"Should we get the body to the medical bay, Doctor?"

"Yes, I'll need to run some tests. Kris, did you learn anything from...what was her name?"

"Betty. Yeah, I did." She followed the men as they hoisted the body again and headed for the medical bay. "She said that they appeared out of nowhere, stabbed Stone, and were gone, just like that. And also, that they had something small - tiny like a pocketwatch, she said - that glowed blue. "

"Blue?" The Doctor frowned. "I'd know what it was if it'd been glowing gold...or green...possibly even red...but blue?"

"Could it be something sonic?"

"Possibly," the Doctor nodded to Jack. "I'll know more once I get these tests run. In the meantime, I need the two of you to get into the TARDIS computers and pull up all the information you can find on the Second Continental Congress, and specifically, Thomas Stone."

"Sure, but why?" Kris stayed outside the medical room door, not wanting to deal with her skirts, as Jack and the Doctor threw the body onto one of the cots.

"Because," he answered grimly, "I'm going to have to go stand in for him."

-----------------

**A/N:** Please review! We'll give you strawberries and cream, in honour of Wimbledon ;) Thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

"So, how do I look?"

Kris and Jack stood surveying the Doctor in the TARDIS wardrobe. After a moment, Kris nodded. "I think this'll work."

They'd dug through the racks of clothes until they'd found a brown 18th-century suit. The result, on the Doctor, made him look very dignified.

Jack also nodded. "Yeah, I think you'll pass. I got all the information pulled up for you about the Congress, so you should be able to just scan that and be ready to go."

"Right then. I'll take a room in town and keep an eye on things from there, while you two work from the TARDIS. But before I go, we should take a look..."

He was already out the door as the sentence faded. Kris and Jack looked at each other, shrugged, and followed the sounds of his footsteps.

-----

"Ah-ha!"

"What did you find?"

The Doctor was bending over one of the many mysterious pieces of equipment in the medical bay. "It's like I thought. That knife wasn't a knife...it was a highly-charged electric bayonet. The knife wound itself wouldn't have killed Stone that quickly; he actually died of electric shock."

"Wouldn't that girl have heard something though?" Jack pointed out.

"Not necessarily. The noise of the discharge would have been muffled by Stone's body."

"So what was the little blue thing she saw?" Kris glanced uneasily at the dead body, which was beginning to show signs of rigor mortis. "Some kind of remote control? Or a battery, to charge the bayonet?"

"No..." The Doctor chewed his lip. "I have the feeling I'm missing something very obvious here." He grinned suddenly. "But that's what I have you two for! Jack, you'll need to do a scan for alien technology; figure out where this group is operating from."

"Sure."

"Both of you be careful." The Doctor's face grew serious. "We don't know what we're dealing with yet. If these aliens are trying to influence things this far back in Earth's history, the repercussions are enormous. They're probably bent on some very bad goal that we don't even want to think about, and we still don't know why or how we got pulled here in the first place. I'll get the delegates back on course, but I'm relying on you to find and stop whoever's behind it all."

Jack grinned. "Aye aye, sir."

Kris reached over and took the Doctor's hand, squeezing it briefly. "We won't let you down."

"I know you won't."

-----

Outside the TARDIS, the Doctor set off for one of the inns lining the square they'd parked in, and Jack consulted his wrist computer. Kris, once again laced into corset and gown, looked around. "Maybe we should wait till morning..."

Jack shook his head. "If we do that, we could wind up with six more dead delegates, and you and I sure can't stand in. We've got to get started now. Ah-ha! Got a hit!"

"Sure it's not the TARDIS?"

"Very funny." He glared at her. "No, it's about six blocks north of here."

"So close?"

"Yeah...and I remember, that girl said it was like they appeared out of nowhere. So if they had a short-range teleporter..."

"She would have seen that though, Jack. Teleports aren't exactly subtle."

"Maybe they teleported behind something, then. Anyway, come on, let's go check this out."

Following the trail that Jack's computer provided, they wound up in front of a nondescript brick building, similar in appearance to the rest of the buildings on the block. Jack checked his wrist again. "Yep. This is definitely the place. All kinds of alien tech in here. And...hmm, that's interesting."

"Don't keep me in suspense here..."

"I've got much better places to keep you," he murmured. Kris rolled her eyes and grinned as he continued. "What I meant was, there are tons of life-form readings in there. Whatever they are, there's a lot of them."

"Well then...I suppose we need to find the back door."

Jack pointed. "That way."

"Does your computer tell you that, too?" She was surprised.

"No, but since we're standing in the front...ow!" Jack glared at her, rubbing his bicep where she'd punched him. "What? It was obvious!"

"Now I know why women weren't spies more often."

"The skirts?"

"That, and the corsets. It's bloody hard to be sneaky if you're gasping for air."

Jack chuckled, but quietly. They were whispering, having successfully entered the building through the back door, and were currently creeping up a set of stairs in pitch black, the only light coming in a faint glow from Jack's wrist.

Kris was in the lead and had gotten a few stairs ahead of him. Jack grabbed her ankle to stop her, and crawled up alongside. He pressed his face against hers, breathing into her ear, "All the life-form readings are coming from the next floor. Let me go first - I'll find the door."

She nodded, beginning to scoot back to make room for him. Before she got too far, he seized her face in his hands, pressing a hard kiss on her lips. As he backed off, she whispered against his mouth, "What was that for?"

"Are you complaining?"

"Not at all."

"Good." She felt him smile. "And to answer your question...it was just because."

"Ah. Well in that case, so is this." She kissed him back, hard and deep. "Now let's go."

Jack grinned to himself, continuing up the stairs until he reached the next landing. He crawled along to the base of the next flight up, making room for Kris to huddle beside him. A faint light was coming from underneath the door, and they could hear voices muttering behind it.

"Do you remember how to get out of here fast?" Kris whispered. She felt him nod next to her. "Good."

She reached up, slowly turning the doorknob and pushing the door open a tiny crack. Slowly...ever so slowly, hoping that if anyone saw it, they'd blame it on a loose bolt or a lock or something...she widened the space enough to see through, finally putting her eye to the opening.

She didn't make a sound at what she saw. It was difficult. Most people, after all, would have screamed at the sight of a moving puddle of purple ooze.

And not only was it moving...it was _shifting._ That was the noise they'd heard.

The ooze, puddling over almost the entire floor, was full of lumps. Horrified, she watched as the lumps erupted outwards, changing, in the process, into vaguely human-shaped creatures. The faces looked oddly flattened, and she couldn't make out the features very well, but the overall effect was that of a poor copy of a human. A purple-skinned human.

The creatures formed and collapsed, over and over. She fumbled for Jack's hand, pulling him towards the door, and backed off, letting him look.

"Oh my God," he breathed.

She put her lips to his ear, looking into the room over his shoulder. "Do you know what they are? I don't recognize them at all."

"I'm not sure," he whispered back. "Some kind of metamorphic species...but I don't remember any that are purple..."

They watched for a moment longer, until one of the lumps in the center of the floor formed itself into a person, and stayed that way. The other lumps paused in their shifting.

"Hunters!"

Its voice was grating - rough and slippery at the same time. Kris winced, wanting to slam her hands over her ears. She could see Jack's teeth grit in the faint line of the light from the open door, and gripped his shoulder.

"The hunt is nearly complete," the being in the center rasped. "Soon we shall move on from this time and place...into a new, even more glorious hunt!"

There was a burbling sound from the floor of ooze.

"I think that's their form of applause," Jack whispered.

"Or cheering."

"Shh."

"And tonight, my brethren, we acknowledge the ascendance of a new lead team...the Hunters of Pilon, stand forth!"

A group of lumps twisted up, gaining that almost-human shape, and there was more burbling from the floor. The leader continued. "The Hunters of Pilon have completed the third task first. Hunters, present your kill!"

One of the beings that had just formed produced a small object. Kris' hand tightened on Jack's shoulder - it was a tiny cylinder, glowing blue!

The being did something to the cylinder, and it whirred, producing a hologram of none other than the late Thomas Stone. The hologram's mouth opened, soundlessly crying out, and then stopped, as a long blade was thrust into its belly. The image thrashed for a moment, then collapsed, as the blade was withdrawn.

The image disappeared, and the cylinder beeped. A computer's voice issued from it. "Target confirmed deceased. Stone, Thomas. Congressional delegate. Target confirmed deceased. Hunters of Pilon, code 742347195, confirmed credited."

The burbling that arose from the floor was the loudest yet.

"The Hunters of Pilon have taken the position of supremacy from the Hunters of Hashark. Two tasks remain. The fourth task will be released at sundown tomorrow. Now rest, my brethren, and ready yourselves!"

"Let's get out of here."

Jack nodded in reply to Kris' whisper. Carefully, he closed the door, covering the bolt with his hand to attempt to absorb the sound. It seemed to work - there was no rise in sound from the room, no indication of alarm.

They crept carefully back down the stairs, moving slowly and cautiously until they were outside again. Back in relative safety on the street, Jack let out a sigh of relief. "Whew. I think my legs are permanently cramped from all of that stair-crawling."

Kris glanced at the horizon. No light was showing yet, but the sky had gone the dirty grey shade of just before dawn. "I didn't realize we were in there for that long."

"Me neither." Jack placed his hands at the base of his spine and arched backward, grimacing with pleasure at the series of crackles and pops that issued. "Listen, I'm not tired, so why don't I walk you back to the TARDIS? You can go to bed and I'll go find the Doctor to let him know what we've found so far."

"That sounds..." She interrupted herself with a huge yawn, then continued. "...like a fabulous idea."

-----

Even though it was a short walk, the sun was already rising by the time they made it back to the TARDIS. Kris couldn't stop yawning, and was grateful for Jack's arm being there to lean on.

He ducked inside the ship with her, taking her face in his hands for their traditional good-night kiss.

"Although I guess it's technically a good-morning kiss," he murmured, their lips parting for a brief moment. Kris smiled, stretching up on her tiptoes to capture his mouth again.

_You'd think we'd personally invented the whole art of kissing, _she mused, _with how much we do it. Although I certainly don't object._

His hands were roaming over her back. "Undo the laces while you're at it," she breathed, and felt his fingers instantly working on the ties.

Once she was unlaced - which had given them an excuse to prolong their kisses that much more - Jack sighed, shaking his head with a smile. "Vixen. I've got to go - can't stay on the ship too long, otherwise I'll remember that I _should_ be tired..."

"'Kay. You coming back after you talk to the Doctor?"

"Probably. Why?"

"Just wondering if I should leave a little surprise in your bed." She winked at him, turning and heading for the hallway with a sashay of her hips. "Don't be _too_ long."

Jack grinned, laughing to himself once she was out of earshot. He had an inkling of what the surprise might be...although knowing Kris, it was hard to guess. Straightening his uniform coat, he exited the TARDIS, looking around the square for the inn where the Doctor was staying.

-----

"You're sure?"

"Positive."

The two men were sitting in the inn's common room, tucking into an early breakfast. Other men that Jack recognized from the Congress were also eating; the Doctor must have chosen the inn for that purpose. If there was trouble, it'd be drawn here.

"The Hunters of Pilon," the Doctor mused. "Hold on a tick...yes...of course!"

"Why do I have the feeling you've had one of those revelations where you're going to..."

The Doctor smacked himself on the forehead with flat of his hand.

"...do exactly that," Jack finished, shoving another forkful of eggs into his mouth.

-8-8-8-

"I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner." The Doctor shook his head, taking over the story from Jack. "The Hunters of Pilon. That was what gave me the clue. That purple-skinned race is infamous among the Time Lords for meddling with time. Their hunts are designed to influence and change time; the more important the hunt, the more chance that some part of time will be irreparably damaged."

"So why didn't you think of it sooner?" Rose glanced up at him, giving him a saucy look.

"Well, missy, for one thing it was never my specialty, even when the Time Lords were in power. And for another, when it was just me, I had a rather long list of things to tend to!"

Jack chuckled. "But we did save the day in the end."

"Course we did. I got the delegates back on track with a mixture of diplomacy and just plain talking their ears off, and you two managed to stop the Hunters. Well done, that, especially the bit with the liquid nitrogen. Where did you end up putting them, by the way?"

Kris grinned. "One very big canning jar. It's in one of the storage rooms now; we thought we could drop it on a moon somewhere and just let them sit for a few hundred years."

"Good plan."

Rose sighed. "I wish I could've been there with you."

"Another pair of hands would have come in handy, especially when we were trying to pour the frozen Hunters into the jar," Jack agreed.

They sat in silence for a moment, until Rose turned her attention to Kris. "So what was the surprise?"

"Surprise?"

"That you were..." Rose coughed, "going to leave for Jack..."

To her surprise, all three of them blushed.

"What? Come on, tell me! It's got to be good, from the looks on your faces..."

Jack shook his head. "All right already...well, the Doctor and I finished breakfast, and he had to go to the Congress, so I headed back to the TARDIS..."

-8-8-8-

Jack stepped into his room, forcing back a yawn, and glanced at his bed.

He grinned.

As he'd guessed, the surprise in his bed was nothing other than Kris herself, wearing what looked like one of his T-shirts, with her gown in a heap on the floor. Tousled red-brown hair obscured half her face, and she was curled on her side, cuddling one of his numerous pillows.

Jack stripped down to his underwear in seconds. Carefully, he extracted the pillow from Kris' grasp, then promptly lifted the covers and crawled in beside her, substituting himself in her arms.

Kris woke to the rather pleasant sensation of Jack's tongue slipping into her mouth.

She kissed back, instinctively, moving closer to full consciousness. His arms drew her in to his body, one leg sliding between hers, hands moving down to cup her bottom and pull her hips firmly against him.

Which abruptly brought her awake...with the realization that Jack, regardless of how tired he was, was definitely in the mood for some exploration.

_Well...it did have to happen sometime._

She smiled against his lips, then devoted her attention to touching him. Jack rolled onto his back, pulling her on top, pushing the hem of the T-shirt up...

-8-8-8-

"Which was about when my wrist computer began beeping," he finished. "And despite really, really, REALLY wanting to not answer it, I figured that the Doctor wouldn't be calling unless there was a good reason."

"Which, as it turned out," Kris added, with a glare at the Doctor, "there wasn't. All he wanted was directions."

The Doctor ducked his head, muttering something about forgetting a map, as Rose laughed. "It's beginning to seem like he was making a job out of interrupting you..."

"You're telling us," Jack grumbled.

"So what happened then? After you'd finished with the Hunters."

-8-8-8-

The sun was shining as the three of them walked down the street, the large canning jar in Jack's arms, congratulating each other on saving the world once again.

As the Doctor unlocked the TARDIS, their attention was caught by a familiar whooshing noise. They all glanced up instinctively, confused as to why the TARDIS was cycling up while they were still outside...

...and realized that the ship was silent.

Jack nearly dropped the canning jar as all three of them ducked around the ship. Directly behind the TARDIS...was materializing _another TARDIS._ Another blue police box.

"Go!" shouted the Doctor. "Hurry!"

The keys were still in the lock. Kris dived for the doors, twisted the keys, and they piled into the ship. The Doctor raced up the ramp, slamming a lever at random. They all breathed a sigh of relief as the engines began to cycle.

Jack set the canning jar down on the deck. "What just happened?"

"We nearly got pulled into a paradox," the Doctor panted. "That was me. Must've been me. But why don't I remember?" He scratched his head.

Kris shoved a hand through her hair. "More to the point, did anyone else notice the bricks?"

"What about the bricks?" The Doctor looked up.

"I hadn't seen it before. There wasn't enough daylight. But the bricks...they were different colors."

"Most of them are," Jack pointed out.

"But these were deliberate. They were arranged by design. And they spelled something."

"Spelled..." Jack's voice trailed off, as the three of them spoke in unison.

"Bad Wolf."

-8-8-8-

"The Bad Wolf took you there? Somehow?"

"Right," the Doctor nodded at Rose. "And this time I understood what she was doing. I had to see the other TARDIS to make the connection. To realize the possibility. I thought that all the incarnations of all the Time Lords had been wiped away with the Time War. And I was almost right. But I'd made a crucial wrong assumption: that my _own_ previous incarnations had also been wiped away. And that was the key."

"We needed another Time Lord," Jack picked up. "But it didn't have to be a different _person._"

------------------------

**A/N:** Everyone still having fun? Leave a review and let us know! It makes us excited... Teehee :) xxx


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** There's some mature content of the sexual nature in this chapter so read at your own discretion, avert your eyes, think of bunnies and flowers etc. Haha… And it ignores the end of series 3. You'll know the bit we mean :)

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"So how did you go about it?" Rose asked curiously. "Just randomly find another version of yourself and say 'hey, come with me, I want to shatter reality'?"

The Doctor grinned. "Sort of, except I had to be pretty specific about which version of me I went for." He gestured vaguely. "You know, paradoxes and all that."

She nodded, preferring not to think about the time that she had caused a huge paradox that had almost destroyed the human race. She could only imagine that any paradox the Doctor might cause would be that much worse. Although, she had to admit that she had been pretty happy about the version of himself the Doctor had ultimately chosen to bring on board to help with his plan…

-8-8-8-

After their little interlude at Independence Hall, the Doctor spent the next few days mulling over the best way to go about bringing a past incarnation of himself aboard the TARDIS. He had quickly ruled out the possibility of finding another version of his present form for several reasons. He had reasoned that from the time he regenerated to saying goodbye to Rose at Bad Wolf Bay, he had hardly spent any time apart from her and he didn't particularly fancy messing up that timeline now. Plus, if he succeeded in getting her back, he didn't really want his younger self showing up and interrupting whatever fabulous reunion they might be having to drag him away. The third factor against using his current incarnation to help breach the void was down to pure vanity. He rather liked how he looked in this body, and he had enough trouble tearing himself away from the mirror on occasion as it was. A perfect body double would just open up far too many possibilities for him to stay focused on the task at hand.

And so he had to decide the best course of action for effectively kidnapping another of his incarnations from somewhere in the infinity of space and time.

He gave the problem so much consideration and concentration in fact, that he failed to notice the fact that he, Jack and Kris were surrounded by armed guards on one particularly hostile planet. If truth be told, he was so lost in thought he had barely registered the fact that they had been arrested, sentenced to lifelong slavery due to his accidentally walking into the Queen of the planet as her procession had passed by, and then thrown in jail to await punishment.

He sat in the small holding cell leaning against the wall, tuning out the death glares that both Jack and Kris were now giving him. He thought back to his previous body, all big ears and leather jackets and moodiness. He decided that he liked himself much better as he was now. Much prettier. And more cheerful. He knew that somehow this body had been made according to Rose's tastes; he had definitely caught her checking him out a lot more than she had in his previous form, not that she had _never_… He rambled a lot more in this body as well, was more liable to go off on a tangent and forget what he was actually supposed to be doing…

Oh, yeah. His last incarnation. He thought back, trying to remember anything strange or out of the ordinary, any blanks where memories should be, anything at all. Of course, he had been an emotional wreck most of the time. Just out of the Time War, all his people were dead and he had been alone… So alone. His mind had been all over the place. He remembered that he hadn't thought himself worth saving, had let himself get into lots of dangerous situations. Hadn't even looked in the mirror properly (that he remembered) until he met Rose and ended up in her mother's flat on his quest to find the Autons.

But there must have been a point before that, he realised, when he had decided that it might be an idea to try and live again, if only for a while, if only to try. He wondered when that point might have been, but found that he couldn't pinpoint the precise moment. One minute he was practically suicidal, simply wishing that it would all end, and the next… Well, he couldn't remember.

A light bulb went on in his head. "Oh, I am brilliant," he said aloud.

"How'd you figure that one out, Doc?" Jack asked sarcastically from across the small dingy room. "You're the one that got us into this mess."

"Yep!" he exclaimed happily. "You're not wrong there, Captain."

"Do you think he's okay?" Jack murmured to Kris. "I think he might have hit his head or something."

"I'm fine Jack," he told the other man in all his Time Lord-y seriousness. "And I am absolutely, completely, one hundred percent amazingly brilliantly brilliant. Seriously, I am!" He frowned. "Well, I imagine I'll be pretty annoyed at myself at some point in the past due to the way I'm planning on meddling with the timey-wimey spacey-wacey ball of existence-y time continuum, seeing as I'll wake up one day not having the _faintest _idea what I did to fix the problem of the aforementioned timey-wimey spacey-wacey ball-"

"Whoa!" Jack held up his hands. "I'm a bit lost. You'll be annoyed at yourself _in the past_?"

He nodded as though it was the most obvious thing in the universe. "Yep. I won't even know why I'm annoyed at myself; at least, not until I get to be where I am now, sitting here telling you all this instead of actually going to sort out the timey-wimey problem we have going."

"And which particular problem are you referring to here?"

"The one where I'm the last of the Time Lords. But luckily, my friends, time is not linear. And we have a time machine. And I know just where to go to get another Time Lord to help us break through the void."

Jack grinned. "Where?"

"Cardiff!"

The Captain's face dropped. "Cardiff," he repeated.

"Yep! Well, not Cardiff exactly," the Doctor amended. "But we need to go to Cardiff first to power up the TARDIS, get the energy we need to sort all of this out. Then we go and pick up the second Time Lord and _then_ we go to the Court of Appeals. Simple!"

"If that's simple, I'd hate to see complex," Kris told him.

The Doctor frowned. "Well," he said. "A lot of things are complex. The inner workings of the heart of the TARDIS, for example. Explaining the reasoning behind the Big Bang. Religion. Finance. Getting out of this cell without being caught by the guards."

"Now he tells us," Jack groaned.

"But complex is not impossible," he was informed. "Complex simply means that we need to coordinate ourselves, all group to together…" He stood up, plunging one hand into his inside jacket pocket, glad that the guards hadn't managed to find his sonic screwdriver. He fiddled with the settings and then gestured to Jack and Kris to stand up. They did so, warily. "And then, when the time is right…" He pocketed the sonic screwdriver and carefully opened the door he had just unlocked. "Run!" he yelled.

The three of them burst out of the doors and ran as fast as they could away from the cell.

-8-8-8-

"I take it you got out okay, then," Rose guessed as the Doctor finished relating that part of the story.

"Eventually," Kris said before the Doctor could reply. "It all went swimmingly after we knocked out all the guards."

The Doctor scratched the back of his head. "Yes, well, I didn't exactly think about what we might do if they were already on their way back to us. At least we got out of there! I didn't exactly fancy a lifetime of servitude to Queen Gertie and her followers." He visibly shivered at the prospect. "Blergh."

-8-8-8-

An hour later they had collapsed back into the TARDIS, determined never to go to _that_ planet again whilst old Gertie was still on the throne. The Doctor instantly headed to the central console and powered up the engines to take them to Cardiff.

"Um, Doc?" Jack asked from where he had sprawled over the Captain's chair.

"Yes?"

"Can I make a request?"

"Go for it."

"If we're going to Cardiff, can we either go a good while before or a good while after I was last there? I don't really want to run into any of my old team."

The Doctor smiled. "Why, you think you might be tempted to stay?"

Jack pulled a face. "Hardly."

"Fair enough," came the reply. "Cardiff, a good long time after you were last there, coming right up!" He paused. "Although we can't go too far forward."

"Why not?" he asked

"Floods," the Doctor said. "Sea coast, global warming, rising sea levels, bye-bye Cardiff Bay." He waved to make his point and then turned a dial and flicked a switch. There was a few seconds of quiet before the ship landed with a surprisingly soft bump and he said, "Right, we're here."

And then, right on cue, Kris came into the room wearing a white tank top and black running shorts. "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing," Jack said. "Just the Doctor mildly prophesising on the end of Cardiff Bay as we know it." He turned back to the Doctor. "What's the plan?"

"We let the TARDIS power up until she has enough energy to be able to hide any potential paradoxes we may be accidentally causing, and then we go and pick up the other Time Lord. I told you before."

A pause. And then, "Who is the other Time Lord?" Kris asked carefully. "I thought you were the only one?"

"I am," the Doctor replied. "To both of those questions."

Jack grinned widely. "We're going to pick up another version of you?"

"Yep!"

His grin got wider. "The previous you?"

"Yep."

"Oh, I can't wait!" Jack exclaimed. "Maybe I can finally get one of you to let me buy you that drink I promised all those years ago."

The Doctor waggled his eyebrows. "Maybe." His face dropped. "Although you'll probably have to buy me that drink, not him."

Jack frowned. "Why?"

The Doctor was quiet for a long moment, lost in his thoughts and staring at the Time Rotor before looking up with a false smile on his face. "The TARDIS is going to take about four or five hours to charge up properly. Why don't you go and do something, hmm? Show Kris where you worked. Or something."

"Okay." Jack nodded, eyeing the Doctor suspiciously. He stood up off the seat and held his hand out to Kris. "Perhaps you would like to sample one of the oh-so-fine jogging routes that Cardiff has to offer?"

"Sure," she replied, letting him take her hand and lead her to the doors.

Jack smiled. "Ladies first," he said. "I'm a gentleman."

The Doctor snorted, his smile turning more genuine. "You just keep telling yourself that, Captain," he said.

"I am!" Jack protested, reaching out to open the TARDIS doors and then gesturing for Kris to go ahead of him. She gave him a smile as she went outside. Jack looked back at the Doctor. "See?" he said.

"You just want an excuse to check her out."

There was a pause. "That's true." That cheeky grin was back. "But don't tell her that! She'll hit me." And then Jack disappeared from view, closing the doors behind him and leaving the Doctor alone to muse over what would happen next.

-----

A short while later they were running along a relatively easy five mile stretch along the coast. They quickly fell into a rhythm, maintaining a steady pace, just at the level where conversation was possible.

"I wonder," Kris mused, after they'd finished a mile or so, "whether we could put something like this in the workout room back on the TARDIS. You know...rig up a surround vid screen or something around the treadmills we've already got..."

Jack laughed, carefully, so as not to throw his breathing off. "I'll see what I can do when we get back."

"Hey!" She reached over and lightly punched him in the arm. "Not without me, you won't."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine...we'll _both_ work on it. Happy?"

"Yes." She reached down and grabbed the hem of her tank top, hauling it over her head to reveal a simple black sports bra. Jack whistled appreciatively, and Kris promptly slapped him with the tank top.

"Hey! I'm just trying to offer a compliment..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

They had fallen into that peculiar sort of zone: the kind where the road just seems to slide away under your feet. Before they knew it, Jack's watch was beeping at them, alerting them to the fact that they'd gone their planned five miles.

He checked the time, as they slowed to a walk. "Just over an hour! Perfect."

Kris wiped her sweating hands on her tank top, which she'd rolled up and tied around her waist. "Should we take a break before we start running back?"

"Yeah, sounds good."

They stopped, turning around and beginning to head back at a slow walk. Jack had brought water packs in a small bag around his ankle, and he passed two to Kris, drinking deeply himself. Stowing the empty packs back in the bag, he then quickly pulled his T-shirt, soaked with sweat, off over his head. "Ahhh! Much better."

Kris eyed his muscled, sweaty chest appraisingly. She'd seen Jack with his shirt off before plenty of times, but out here, away from the city and the TARDIS and everything else...somehow, the view was a little different. _Just us. No ship to repair, no Doctor to walk in at an inconvenient moment... _

Jack was watching her with one eyebrow lifted. "Like what you see?"

"Yeah." She grinned, both at his impressive physique, and at the fact that she'd thrown him off balance. They regarded each other, and in both minds, memories of the passionate kisses they had been sharing were suddenly very much at the forefront...

Kris was the first one to break it, scrubbing at her sweaty face. "I hate how sweat itches..."

"Here." Jack proffered his T-shirt. "There's probably still a dry patch or two."

She accepted the shirt dubiously, and turned it in her hands, finally finding the promised dry patch on one side. "Betcha this just makes me itch _more_," she grumbled.

"Sorry?"

"Nah, nothing. Thanks." She moved to hand back the shirt, not noticing the mischievous grin on Jack's face.

"You want to itch more? I can arrange that...c'mere!"

He grabbed the hand that was still holding his shirt, and pulled her in to his body, wrapping his other arm firmly around her waist and proceeding to squirm madly...rubbing as much sweaty skin as was possible against her.

Kris yelped, and tried to wriggle away, but Jack was stronger - his arm where it held her waist felt like iron. _Well, he does have all those muscles. I suppose they come in handy sometimes. _

Jack was slowing his movements, his laughter dying down. It was right about then that Kris became aware of some of the _other_ effects that their close, friction-filled contact had had...

She looked up at him. Holding her gaze, he stopped moving, except to slowly, sensuously, rock his hips against hers, making those _other_ effects even more apparent. His arm loosened and drifted down from her waist to curl around her bum, hand resting gently on her hip.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Hey," she answered. _Brilliant, us - _"hey," _as conversation. _

"So..." Jack continued, "what shall we do now?"

His hips were continuing that maddening slow rocking. Even more, somehow his leg had inserted itself between hers, creating more friction..._If he doesn't stop that soon, this is going to get embarrassing. _

"Well..." Kris licked her lips, attempting to re-assemble some form of coherent thought. It wasn't working too well. "We could head back to the TARDIS. It's an hour's run back..."

"And we won't be leaving for another three hours from now," Jack finished smoothly.

"Plenty of time."

"For what?" _Like I don't know._

"Let me put it this way. See that row of bushes?"

She followed his gaze, and did indeed see a small copse of bushes around a couple of trees. "Yeah, I see them."

"Tell me if I'm wrong here, but I think that those bushes, _that_ one in particular in the middle, look like they need to be shagged behind."

"What?" She blinked.

"Shagged behind. You know. Where people go behind those bushes and do the horizontal tango. Make the beast with two backs. Make love. Have sex. Do the nasty. Get it on. Shall I keep going? I know lots more."

"No...I think I get the point..."

"So that's one thing. The second thing...is that you and I are the only two people out here. Have you _seen_ anyone else since we started running?"

She hadn't.

"Right. And the third thing...is that I want you. Right here. Right now."

"We could go back to the TARDIS..."

"No. Here."

"Here?"

"Here."

"Now?"

"Now."

Jack's hands had come up to frame her face, forcing her to look him in the eye. Here. Now. Not back at the TARDIS in an hour, when they might have had a chance to think about what they were doing and find some way of once again putting off the inevitable. Right now, behind those bushes, with both of them still sweaty from the run. Totally un-romantic.

She must've nodded, or given him some other sort of encouragement, because Jack didn't wait any longer. His mouth crashed down on hers - his lips were hungry and pushed hers open, tongue invading her mouth before she was even really conscious of what was going on. Once she was, though, she met him with equal force, her hands going up to grip his shoulders tightly and press herself against him. The place was here, the time was now, and it would've been a stupider woman than she who would argue.

Hands at her hips - she was being lifted. She wrapped her legs around Jack's waist, and felt him walking, carrying her easily. He was stepping off the road, presumably heading for the aforementioned bushes. Their mouths were still locked together, but the quality of the kiss had changed: still hungry, but now more sensual. More like...like...

_Foreplay._

Jack dropped to his knees behind the bush and let Kris down, temporarily breaking their kiss. She sprawled on her back on a bed of thick, soft grass - _at least there's that!_ - with her legs still half around him. She had time to look up into his face for a moment, enjoying the masculine beauty, before he pulled her up by her hands into a half-sitting position. In a second his hands were under her sports bra, pushing it up and over her head, to fall unwanted in the grass beside them.

His arm curved around her back, helping her keep sitting up. She leaned back into it, the better to see his face, and caught his eyes fixed on her breasts, a faint smile on his lips. When he realized she was watching, he looked up.

"You're beautiful," he said simply.

He reached up and cupped her breast before she could reply, and whatever she had been about to say turned into a small gasp, as the touch of his fingers sent tingles running all along her skin, and she swore that her temperature shot up about ten degrees. Jack smiled, leaving no doubt that he knew the effect he was having on her, and tightened his arm around her to bring her up for another kiss.

He was gentler this time, flicking his tongue into her mouth even as his thumb flicked over her nipple. As he deepened the kiss, meeting her tongue with his and stroking, drawing it into his own mouth, he applied a firmer touch to the nipple in his fingers. She whimpered, low in her throat, and curled her hands around his shoulders, nails digging into his muscles. He relished the feel of her touching him, feeling her hands run down his back as he switched his attentions to her other breast.

They sank back onto the grass, Jack on top of Kris, toeing off their running shoes to fling away somewhere. She writhed under him as he traced a path with his lips from ear to collarbone, and her nails bit into him even harder as he suckled one of the nipples he'd already teased into hardness. Between her legs, she felt slick and swollen, her body aching for him to fill her up, and she knew - could feel - that he was growing impatient as well.

He confirmed this a second later, yanking her shorts off (she thought she heard a tear from the roughly mauled fabric) and dispensing with his own. As his mouth returned to hers, she felt his hand slide down her belly, and his fingers feathered through the damp curls between her thighs. She jerked against him at the first soft brush of his fingertips on the oversensitive flesh, and Jack laughed softly.

"Steady," he murmured, beginning to kiss her neck again. Kris wasn't sure she was going to be able to listen to him, especially when his index finger settled at the precise spot she wanted it, and began to rotate in small circles.

"Jack," she whimpered softly. His thumb took the place of the index finger, and his fingers moved down. Two of them slid into her, working gently in and out as his thumb circled.

His shoulder was right in front of her. She bit down on it, hard, to keep from screaming.

Jack hissed, breath escaping from clenched teeth. His hand gripped involuntarily and released, and he lifted his head from her neck. His eyes asked a question, hers answered, and the next moment he'd shifted to lie between her legs. The head of his cock pressed against her, unmoving, and she felt him tremble. He braced himself on one arm, grasping her left leg with the other and pulling it over his hip, and as he did, he pushed forward.

There are certain things in everyone's life that they will never forget, no matter how long that life is or how many other memories get in the way. This was one of those things. Even though Jack and Kris would go on to have sex thousands of times, in hundreds of different places, many of which were just as strange as behind a bush...neither of them ever forgot the feel of the first time he entered her.

_Oh my God, he's enormous_. She closed her eyes, wanting just to feel him, and blindly buried her face between his shoulder and neck. She breathed in small, harsh gasps and heard him give a deep groan of relief as he slowly slid in, an inch at a time for what seemed like eternity. He hiked her leg higher up on his hip, sliding deeper, until he was completely in.

She felt hot, tight, stretched almost uncomfortably, trembling against him, on the brink of orgasm at the sheer sensual overload. Jack wasn't moving, and she felt him shaking with the effort. Talking seemed like a Herculean feat.

"Jack?" she managed. _Is that my voice, shaking like that?_

"Never...felt...this...good," he managed, or at least something along those lines. His hips pushed against hers, still trembling, and she lifted her other leg, wrapping both around his waist again. At the shift, they both moaned, Jack lowering himself to his forearms and leaning in for another deep kiss...and as their lips met, he began to move.

After less than half a dozen thrusts, Kris screamed and bit his shoulder again, coming so violently that Jack himself jerked, unable to continue for a moment at the sheer force. When he did, he gauged her perfectly, stroking in time to the waves of her climax, prolonging the ride out longer and longer until she raked her nails down his back and half-screamed, half-sobbed for him to stop.

The trails of fire down his back ignited something in him. He reared up, grabbing her wrists and forcing them down beside her head, leaning heavily on his hands as he thrust harder. As he felt himself getting closer, he pushed his face into her neck, clamping his teeth on a fold of skin, letting out another deep groan as his body let go.

It had never been that good. He knew without even having to run through his back catalogue; he'd known the moment he was fully inside her. Never.

Kris shifted beneath him, and Jack rolled off, lying on his back and extending an arm. At the invitation, she snuggled up against the side of his chest, and he stroked her back with his fingertips, brushing off the bits of grass and twigs that had become stuck.

She touched the bruises that were blossoming in the shapes of tooth marks on both of his shoulders. "Sorry."

"What for?" He grinned. "Felt great."

"Oh. Well...never mind then." Self-consciously, she grinned back at him.

"I meant what I said: it's never been that good for me. I've never felt so..." he groped for a word, "..._hot."_

"That's as good a word as any, I think. And for the record...it's never been that good for me, either." She traced a pattern on his chest lightly. "God, that was incredible."

"That's the understatement of the year." He lightly kissed the bruise that was forming on her neck, in the shape of his own teeth, then grew serious. "Kris..."

"Yeah?"

"I...I'm not going to apologize for this. I mean the quick shag on the side of the road, behind a convenient row of shrubbery..."

"Why, did it seem like you should?"

He shrugged. "That's just who I am. I wanted you; that was it. Time and place weren't a factor."

"I didn't mind."

"So...I guess what I'm saying...is that..." He gave up. "Hell."

"What?" Kris pushed herself up on one elbow. "You can tell me. C'mon, Jack, we just had the most amazing shag either one of us has ever had, I think we can talk to one another."

He sighed. "Yeah. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this is what I am, okay? If you want to keep doing this, and dear God I hope you do, then I can't promise that we'll always be in a comfortable bed or that we'll have all the time in the world. This kind of thing, where we just dive off the road or shut ourselves in a closet, _will_ happen again."

She nodded slowly, then offered him a smile. "I know that, Jack. I don't _want_ that kind of a promise. I'd rather have a man who wants me and isn't afraid to act on it, even if the time and place aren't perfect. So you're OK with me."

He grinned back at her widely in relief. "I'm glad we understand one another."

"Perfectly."

-----

The Doctor sat alone in the TARDIS, the ship's gentle hum soothing him as she refuelled on the rift that ran through the middle of Cardiff. He held a steaming mug of tea in his hands as he sat in the captain's chair, feet propped up on the rail that ran around the console. The quiet was calming him, but it was also unnerving him. It was strange without Jack and Kris there, though he knew they wouldn't be gone for long. They'd be back before they left again.

He sipped his tea, mulling over what he was going to say to the man who was, effectively, himself when they went to pick him up. He had finally decided the best time to go and collect his ninth incarnation: during the wreck of the Titanic. He had memories of clinging to a broken-off bit of iceberg while people died all around him. He remembered being in the TARDIS afterwards. He didn't remember how he got there. He figured now that had probably been down to him- this him, that is. He must have made himself forget. Smart, but annoying. He imagined that that was how his ninth incarnation would probably view his tenth self as well. He could almost hear the sarcastic comments now.

So, the rescue/pick up should be easy enough. But how to explain the situation once he was on board? He knew that whatever Nine (as he decided to call the other him for the time being- 'Big Ears' was still too sensitive to contemplate) found out would be erased from his memory when their mission was complete. But he didn't really like the idea of having to erase huge chunks of his own memory. It would drive him nuts, more so than he already was, especially at that point in his life.

Still drawing a blank when his tea had been finished and the mug cast aside, he decided that he would only tell Nine the bare minimum information he needed to know. That way, less memory to erase, fewer questions and hopefully fewer complications. Hopefully.

Sorted. He'd just say that something huge had happened and he needed to get through the void to retrieve something. And that he couldn't do it alone. Something that he needed his former self's brilliant help with. That would invoke sarcasm and belittling comments, he knew, what with his one-of-a-kind knowledge of how Nine's mind had worked, but it would also serve its purpose. Nine would help because he would feel superior. Then all he (Ten) would have to do would be to use that to manipulate him. He'd seen Rose do it a million times. He'd been on the receiving end of it a million times. Manipulation couldn't be that hard.

Ooh, he was feeling nervous. That was new. Didn't think he'd felt like that in a long time. Last time had probably been when he'd been saying goodbye to Rose in Norway and she'd mentioned the baby. For a second he'd panicked that she might have been pregnant with his child before realising that would be impossible, unless they'd been getting up to some mutually risqué antics in their sleep. Which he highly doubted. Then he'd thought it might have been Mickey's baby and he'd felt even worse until she set him straight. He'd been nervous then, not knowing what to say to her to make it all better. He hated that feeling.

He hoped that this would be his chance to set that right. Never thought he'd be nervous about _himself,_ though. Truth be told, he was scared what Nine would think about falling head over heels in love with a silly little human ape with bleach blonde hair and a London accent. He wondered if he'd even believe it was possible.

But then, he reasoned, he must do. Because he _would_ fall in love with her. When this was all over, Nine would get back in his TARDIS and go and meet Rose for the first time for the second time. He'd fall in love with her and never look back.

The Doctor smiled.

-----

"Hey Jack?"

"Yeah?"

They were walking back to the TARDIS at a good pace, but still far from running.

They were going to be late, and unsurprisingly, neither of them were very concerned about it.

"Things aren't going to get weird now, are they?"

"Not unless me sleeping with you on a regular basis is something you classify as weird."

"Ah." Despite her best intentions, she smiled, and her cheeks turned pink. "Nah. I don't call that weird."

"Good. Because I have no intention of giving up my place in your pants, now that I've gotten there..._finally_."

Kris chuckled. "I have been keeping you waiting, haven't I?"

"Which begs the question of _why..._especially now that you know what you've been missing!"

"I dunno. I suppose I wanted time to get used to life on the TARDIS before I started mucking it up with getting more involved with you."

"You could've said that."

"Yep. But it was much more fun having you kissing me goodnight, wondering whether that night would finally be the one..."

He laughed. "Fair enough. But will you at least admit that what we just did was more fun even than that?"

She reached over and took his hand, feeling him immediately entwine their fingers together. "Consider it admitted."

-----

At the sound of the door opening, the Doctor looked up irritably from the control console. "Where've you lot been? The TARDIS was ready an hour...ago..." He stopped, taking in their disheveled appearance. "What happened?"

Kris glanced sideways at Jack, then fixed her eyes at a point somewhere over the Doctor's shoulder, surreptitiously sneaking her hand to cover the giant tear across one leg of her shorts. Jack nonchalantly reached over and fished a small twig out of Kris' hair, dropping it on the floor of the TARDIS.

"Well, Doctor," he began, "to be perfectly honest...there was a bush."

"A bush." The Doctor raised his eyebrows and looked skeptical.

"And that bush...really, really, really...needed two people to shag behind it. So that's why we're late. And now what we really need is a shower. C'mon, Kris."

With Jack pulling her along towards his room, Kris had time to cast a bemused glance at the Doctor, and see him rolling his eyes and looking towards the ceiling. He called after them.

"Next time, _try_ and keep it on your own time, please?"

-----

Half an hour later they were all back in the console room, freshly showered and dressed in warm, waterproof clothes ready for their little adventure to the wreck of the Titanic. Well, Jack and Kris were dressed ready for their little adventure. The Doctor had apparently decided to sit this one out and wait for them in the TARDIS, refusing to change out of his pinstripe suit.

"Righto, Doctor," Jack said as he zipped up his jacket and then the two of them came over to stand next to the Doctor at the console. "Are we off then?"

The Doctor nodded, his expression serious. "Yes. We're going to pick up my ninth self from an iceberg near where the Titanic sank."

"The Titanic… Wow," Kris said.

The Doctor's hand rested on the final lever, hesitating. He turned to face his travelling companions. "I'm going to be different," he told them frankly. "In all honesty, I'm probably going to be a bit of a mess from the Time War. Worse than when you knew me, Jack. I just… I'm sorry for this, okay? It might not be easy, at first."

Jack and Kris both nodded in understanding. "It will be okay," Kris told him, her eyes big and full and serious.

He smiled lightly. "I know."

"It will be worth it."

"I know." He pulled the lever. "Titanic, here we come."

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**A/N:** I (more-than-words) need to apologise in advance of the fact that there maybe not being an update on Monday because I'm moving house on Saturday and so the internet is going bye-bye for a few days. Hopefully I'll be able to find a computer with the internet somewhere, so normal service should resume ASAP ;) Thanks for reading, please review!


	17. Chapter 17

Thirty seconds of minor jostling and jerking of the TARDIS followed after the Doctor pulled that final lever to take them back to the wreck of the Titanic. Nobody said anything for all the time they were in flight.

Eventually, they arrived and Jack and Kris headed for the doors. The Doctor took a little detour to a small storage locker at the side of the room first and pulled a couple of thick blankets out, knowing his former self would be freezing after spending so long clinging to an iceberg.

His travelling companions were waiting for him expectantly. "Shall we?" Jack said.

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded. "Just…"

"Just what?"

"Don't tell him anything you don't absolutely have to. Remember, he hasn't met Rose yet. I'd like to keep the paradoxes to a minimum for now, please."

This was met by comprehending nods and then a gesture from Jack as he nodded towards the doors. "No point leaving you freezing out there while it's nice and warm in here," he pointed out.

"Well then, what are you waiting for?"

Jack opened the doors and stepped out onto the unstable terrain they'd landed on. It was cold. And wet. And it was dark. Lovely.

-----

The Ninth Doctor lay clinging to one end of his little piece of iceberg, not having the strength or determination to pull himself back up as his lower body slipped further down into the water. He shut his eyes and let the cold numb his senses, shutting out the sounds of people dying around him. It had been stupid of him to go on this voyage when he knew how it ended, but he didn't particularly care.

And then, suddenly, unexpectedly, was a sound he hadn't really been expecting to hear in the middle of the ocean in the middle of the night. A sound he'd just about resigned himself to never hearing again in his life. The engines of the TARDIS were loud in his ears as the ship materialised on the opposite end of the slab of ice, making the tiny little island bob and rock dangerously.

_I'm either mad or saved,_ he thought. _Dunno which would be better._

The TARDIS sat there, three metres away from him at most, home, salvation. But he still didn't move. _Couldn't_ move, even when he tried. He guessed that the cold was spreading to his joints. He decided that he must definitely be hallucinating.

And then the TARDIS doors opened, and a tall handsome man stepped out. He was followed by a short-ish woman. They both headed over to him as soon as they caught sight of him, treading carefully on the ice. He didn't know who either of them was. He caught sight of another person hovering just inside the doors, standing still but not, like they had too much energy to remain completely stationary even when they were.

Strong hands gripped his shoulders and pulled him out of the water jerkily, pausing every couple of seconds to remain upright on the ice. "God, you're freezing," an American accent told him.

"Figures," he mumbled as he was pulled free of the ocean and then two pairs of hands were on him, supporting him and half-dragging him back to the TARDIS. He let them. They obviously knew what they were up to. He could ask questions later.

Ten seconds later and they were back inside the ship. Not his ship, not his TARDIS, he noticed immediately. His still held a lot of the damage from the Time War, whereas this one had been repaired and painstakingly put back together by a loving hand… His own? The ship hummed in recognition as the two strangers took him inside and sat him down on the seat at the side of the console, wrapping blankets tightly around his shoulders.

The third mystery person had his back to him, and was working the controls of the ship. He heard the familiar sound of the Time Rotor start up as the doors shut. And then they were gone, carried away from the wreck of a different kind of ship, off to God-only-knows-where. Except he didn't believe in God, so he had nothing at all to go on apart from the fact that he smelt a paradox coming on.

The third person turned around as the other two hovered near the chair. The man had brown hair, brown eyes, dark pinstripe suit, Converse shoes. Young-ish looking. Good looking. He grinned widely. "Hello, Doctor," he said. London accent, slight Cockney hint. "I'm the Doctor!"

He stared. "You're the Doctor."

"That's what I said. And we need to get you warm. Hot bath? Shower? Tea? Bed? Or maybe some chips? Some nice hot salt-and-vinegary chips, perhaps? You like those."

"Do I?"

"Love 'em, although…" He trailed off and frowned. "First things first, I'm you, from the future. But you probably guessed that." He gestured to the two people with him. "This is Captain Jack Harkness, and this is Kris Ballantyne."

"Hi, Doc," the handsome guy called Jack said.

"How's it going?" That was Kris. He took a moment to study her. Thick, auburn hair. Big eyes with a twinkle there. He decided he would probably like her. Jack, too, more than likely.

He turned back to the man who was supposed to be him. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Well, I always did wonder how I got off that iceberg. Figured it was something like this. We thought you might like a lift," was the unhelpful reply.

"You know that's not what I meant."

"It's all I can tell you right now," the man said. "But I'm you. I'm the tenth you. You're the ninth, but you knew that." He walked over and bent down until they were eye to eye.

The Ninth Doctor frowned as the man stared at him. And then he saw it- saw himself in this stranger's eyes. Himself along with eight others. All of his past bodies. He was telling the truth. _Yep, paradox city, here we come._

The Tenth Doctor straightened up and nodded to the TARDIS interior. "So, how about that nice hot bath, then? You need it."

"Had enough of bleedin' water," he said as he shoved the blankets off his shoulders and stood up, letting the man- _himself_- take his arm when his legs proved to be somewhat shaky.

"Well, a bit more won't hurt," came the cheery response. "And then we can get started."

Deciding not to ask too many questions now, he let himself be led away into the heart of the ship, the warmth of the inside already helping to get rid of the chill that had taken up residence in his bones over the past few hours. His mind began to drift, and then he realised something. He may not know everything about his ninth body yet, but he had a pretty good idea of what he did and didn't like, although he wasn't yet completely sure as to the reasons why. He looked across at his youthful tenth self and groaned as dread flooded through him "Oh no," he said, devastated. "I'm gonna be a pretty boy."

-8-8-8-

"A pretty boy!" the Doctor exclaimed as the four of them sat in the field of flowers, the current temperature well above that of the perishing water around the wreck of the Titanic. "He said that!"

"_You_ said that," Kris pointed out.

"Technicality." He looked offended.

Rose turned in his arms. "Well, I happen to think you're gorgeous." She kissed him to prove her point.

"Can't say I'm complaining either," Jack chimed in. "Although you did do the moody brooding leather thing _very_ well."

"So what did you tell him?" Rose asked. "He must've been curious."

"Oh yeah," Jack said flatly. "He broke through all our complex coding and cover-up within fifteen minutes of getting into some dry clothes." He paused. "Smart bastard."

-8-8-8-

The Doctor- the Ninth Doctor, that is- was back in the console room, now dressed in what would become his trademark jeans-jumper-jacket combination. He was looking down at the Tenth Doctor as he lay half under the console, pinstriped legs and trainers sticking out across the grating. "So tell me more," he said. "What's going on? And don't lie to me, pretty boy, I'm not stupid."

"I know that," came the muffled reply. "I've been you, remember? I know you're not stupid because _I'm_ not stupid. I'm brilliant, in fact. You've got loads to look forward to."

That last sentence sounded somewhat wistful, the Ninth Doctor thought. Like he'd had something great and lost it, like he was slightly envious of what his younger self still had ahead of him, perhaps. "What's going on?" he asked again, measured and controlled.

"I need your help."

Ooh, he sounded reluctant, like he'd much rather do this without the help of one of his past incarnations but couldn't see any other option. "What with?"

"Bit of a journey."

"What type of journey?"

"A hard one."

"Oh, that's helpful. Where is the journey to?"

The reply was lost beneath the mass of wires and metal of the TARDIS console.

"Sorry, didn't get that."

"I need to get across the void." The Tenth Doctor started banging away in his little workspace, sending a shower of sparks out into the room and refusing to say any more.

The other Doctor turned to face Jack and Kris where they sat on the captain's chair, watching the scene bemusedly. He raised his eyebrows in a silent question, _why?_

"It takes two Time Lords to cross the void, apparently," Jack said.

He frowned. "Could you not just find a crack in the universe?" This question was directed at his future self. "There are loads of them about." As far as he knew, this was true. The Time War had caused time and space to splinter and fragment, the result being the decimation of worlds and species and damage to the fabric of the universe itself. Crossing the void should, in theory, take less effort than ever before.

"All the cracks are gone." The answer was hollow, and sad, like this was a regrettable fact. The Doctor pulled himself out from the mass of wiring and came to stand by the man he'd been before. "There aren't any left."

The Ninth Doctor nodded slowly. So that would explain why he was needed to help. But it didn't explain… "Why do you need to cross the void?"

"I need to right a wrong."

"And which wrong would this be?"

"Something that was lost that shouldn't have been. Something that should be in this universe but that's in another one instead."

It was all starting to come together now, despite the annoyingly cryptic replies. From his quick scan of the TARDIS monitors, there was nothing currently supremely wrong with this universe; certainly nothing that would merit hacking through the void and risking the existence of this reality and the next. Which could only mean that… "It's personal, isn't it?"

"What?"

"This is a personal thing. There's no other reason for going through the void. It has to be something personal. So tell me, what is it? Or who?" Ahh, that was it. The Tenth Doctor's eyes had definitely flickered at that. So he was looking for someone. Someone important. "Who, then?"

There was no reply, the older-Doctor-who-looked-younger instead turning to Jack and saying, "We're going to need your help, Captain."

"Hey," the Ninth Doctor said. "We're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on. Tell me who we're searching for."

"Just someone."

The look in his eye gave away the fact that this was not just _someone_. The gravity of the man's look suggested to the Ninth Doctor that whoever this person (people?) was (were?), they were everything to him. Which, in turn, meant that they must mean everything to himself as well. After all, the man in front of him currently evading his questions was the man he was going to become one day and so whoever this mystery person was would be important to him too. Apparently important enough to risk the end of the universe. "Tell me who."

"Her name is Rose."

Oh, now that was strange. Strange and somewhat unexpected. The great Doctor, the last Time Lord and the Oncoming Storm was looking for a girl. Was this what he would become? A pretty boy chasing after some pretty girl? "And why do you need to find her?"

"Because I need her," was the blunt response. "Because I love her. And so will you."

That made his eyebrows shoot up. "I will?"

A wistful expression took up residence on the Tenth Doctor's face. Jack and Kris made a hasty exit to the interior of the TARDIS. Once they were alone, the Doctor said, "She's the best thing that's ever happened to me… To us."

"Rose."

"That's right."

"You met her when you were me?"

"Yes."

"She was… a companion?"

"Yes."

"Your lover?"

"In every way but the obvious."

"But you wanted the obvious too." This was a statement.

"What do you think?" The question was most definitely a rhetorical one.

"Human, I'm guessing."

"Correct."

The Ninth Doctor nodded. That made sense, at least. He'd always had a soft spot for humans. Maybe because they always managed to endure even when all else was lost. Maybe because of their compassion, because they had been kind to him over the years and saved his sorry arse a few times. He'd always thought of Earth as his adopted planet. "But… you lost her?"

His only answer was a nod, and a darkening of the other Doctor's eyes. Certainly a change from the manically cheery man he'd been presented with when he'd first been rescued from the Titanic. Apparently this Rose evoked a pretty strong response in him.

"How?"

The Tenth Doctor's eyes shut and a frown line appeared between his eyebrows. "The Daleks," he said- no, _spat_. "The bloody Daleks again. And the Cybermen. They had- will have, for you- a war, almost destroyed the Earth. Rose was with me. Cut a long story short, she got sucked through the void into a parallel universe. I… I said goodbye to her there. Burnt up a sun just to see her one last time before I had to seal off the last of the cracks in reality."

And now he knew just how important this was. Whilst the thought of breaking through the void to rescue an erstwhile companion would normally be an unfathomable option to him, he somehow sensed that this was different. He knew that he was a brilliantly clever man- that wasn't egotism, just a fact. And so his future self would know what he was risking in travelling to a parallel world. But the fact that he was going to do it despite the risks and no matter the consequences told him that it had to be a worthwhile cause.

"I have to do it," Ten said. "For my sanity. And believe me, when you meet her, you'll understand that. You'll do anything for her." He smiled softly. "And she'll do anything for you. She saves you, you know. She saves you from yourself, takes you out of your despair and teaches you how to be happy again. She shows you how to live. She lets you know that it's okay to love and be loved in return. She heals you."

The Ninth Doctor nodded. The case was made. He would help his future self to get his human back, no matter what it took. He needed her to live, and to love. They both did, it seemed. "So tell me," he said. "What can I do to help?"


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:** Enjoy the new chapter, 10Rose fluff inclusive as requested by our readers ;) Review and let us know what you think!!

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As if on cue, Jack and Kris' heads popped around the corner of the hallway leading to the TARDIS interior. "Can we come back now?"

The Tenth Doctor was already springing into action, flicking switches madly and slamming levers down. "This used to be easier," he muttered.

"Can I help?"

The question was quiet. Ten glanced at his other self, and for the first time was hit with the realization that he _didn't_ have to do it alone. There was someone here who could help.

"If you can set the controls for the Void..." he began. "I know things will be a little unfamiliar, I had to patch as patch could, after the war..."

The Ninth Doctor's face spread slowly into a grin. Jack caught his breath as he and Kris re-seated themselves in their chair; he'd never thought, after meeting the Tenth Doctor, that he would ever see those ears, that smile, again.

"Hey," Kris laid a hand softly on his arm as she settled herself back onto his lap. "You OK?"

His arm snaked around her waist, drawing her close. "Perfect. Just remind me to go back and straighten up that broom closet later."

She grinned, and Jack ran his free hand over her rumpled hair, planting a light kiss onto her neck. "I never knew that the TARDIS even had broom closets..."

"Jack?"

He looked up to find Ten watching him. "Hmm?"

"We'll need your help, if you aren't too busy..." The statement was accompanied by a knowing glance.

Kris rose, letting Jack up, and he joined the two Doctors at the console. "What do I have to do?"

"We need you to stabilize the Vortex, essentially. You've got a bit of the Vortex inside you, and you're firmly of this world; with Time Lords, it's always a little iffy. We'll navigate, but you'll be the anchor in reality that the TARDIS needs to stay intact and make it into the Void. Understand?"

Jack nodded, and Ten smiled. "Excellent. Well, then..."

Nine looked up, from where he had been tweaking with the controls. "We're ready."

Everyone looked at each other for a minute. Ten reached out abruptly. "Then here we go."

He slammed a lever down. Instantly, the control panel of the TARDIS opened, leeching golden tendrils of light into the room, as the ship began to shake violently. Kris, the only one still seated, held onto the edges of her chair tightly. The three men staggered for balance, gripping the edges of the console.

"Don't look at the light, Kris!" Ten shouted. She obeyed, throwing her head forward and staring fixedly at the floor.

Nine glanced around. The edges of the console that he was holding onto, all of the corners of the walls and various contours...the edges were blurring. He rubbed his eyes to make sure. No - his vision was right. They were going to make it.

"It's working!" he shouted.

As if in response to his words, the ship rumbled more violently. The Tenth Doctor's eyes were closed, his grip white-knuckled on the edge of the control console. Sweat beaded his brow as his mind, his very _nature_, fought through the Void, towards the only thing that mattered anymore...the only hope he had...

The rumbling stopped. A second later, there was a very loud thud, and the ship slammed down, as if making a very rough landing. The Doctors, Jack, and Kris all tumbled to the floor.

Slowly, all four of them regained their feet. There was a faint discordant noise coming from the ship, as if her normal hum was just a little out of tune.

The Tenth Doctor peered at the viewscreen on the control console...which was blank. Completely, totally, blank.

"The TARDIS doesn't know where we are," he murmured. "I think that's a good sign."

Jack gestured towards the doors. "Let's go and meet the neighbors, then."

His gut clenched momentarily, and he exchanged a look with Ten, both of them recalling the other circumstances when those words had been used. Both their eyes flicked to Nine momentarily, who merely looked past them at the doors. Kris was already walking down the ramp.

She swung the doors open as the three men stepped up behind her. All four of them caught their breath.

The world was grey and shrouded in mist. A black sky, totally devoid of stars, hung above the planet. The four of them cautiously stepped out of the TARDIS, their feet meeting ground they couldn't see through the mists. Light came from somewhere - perhaps from the ground? The features of the TARDIS crew were faint but visible in the grey light.

Jack swallowed hard. "There's something wrong."

Nine nodded. "You're human?"

"More or less." Jack exchanged a wry glance with Ten and Kris. "With a little bit extra."

"Right. This world - it exists beyond time. Beyond dimension. It's a planet that shouldn't even be here; it's in a space of nothingness. The gap between universes. Time Lords can cope, but you're probably going to have some trouble."

Kris nodded. Her skin had paled, making her hair look even brighter - one of the only spots of color in sight. "Let's get going, then, and find this Court."

They set off, walking cautiously, as Nine shook his head. "I'm walking on a fairy tale...a story told to children on Gallifrey..."

"Sometimes fairy tales come true," Ten said quietly.

-8-8-8-

"This fairy tale came true," the Doctor said quietly, burying his nose in Rose's hair and tightening his arms around her.

"Yeah, it did," she agreed, turning to wrap her arms around his back and holding him close.

Jack averted his eyes, leaning close to Kris to whisper in her ear, "Think we should give them some privacy for a moment?"

She nodded. "Fancy showing me some more of your moves?"

"Al fresco?" he smiled. "Excellent plan."

The two of them stood, casting a quick glance back at Rose and the Doctor as they made their way across the field of flowers to a place with a suitable atmosphere for al fresco explorations of Jack's moves. The Doctor smiled at their two friends gratefully as they slipped away quietly before turning his attention back to Rose. "Where have they gone?" she asked.

He smiled. "I think they have, um, _plans_." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Ah, I see." Rose giggled.

His expression sobered and he rolled them on the grass until she was beneath him. Her arms went around his neck as his lips came down to meet hers. He kissed her softly, letting her know through actions what he wasn't sure how to put into words. That knowledge that sometimes fairy tales can come true, that impossible is only a figure of speech when rules and boundaries are ignored.

They were both trembling when he pulled away. "What was that for?" Rose asked.

"You complaining?"

"Oh no. Just… curious."

He smiled and kissed her again. "Making up for lost time," he said. "And because I can. I should have done this long ago."

She shook her head. "It wasn't the time."

"I'm a Time Lord," he told her. "It could have been the time. I was just too stubborn to let it be."

"You were scared," she whispered. "We both were." She pushed her body up into his and pressed her lips to his, sighing happily when his mouth opened and his tongue brushed hers gently. They stayed that way for long minutes, learning each other's mouths as their tongues danced in a rhythm similar to the act of love. The scent of the flowers washed over them, carried on the warm breeze that ruffled their hair. Blossom fell down from the tree branches above them.

"This is perfect," the Doctor said when he pulled back to breathe.

"Soppy git," she teased. She smiled at him. "But you're right. It is perfect."

He brushed her hair back from her face when the wind lifted it and blew it across her forehead. "You're perfect." He kissed the skin of her forehead, her cheeks and her eyelids. "My perfect Rose," he said as he drew away and laid his head on her chest, wrapping his arms around her waist. She caressed his hair and ran one hand up and down his back. "I'll never forget that day. Seeing you again for the first time in the parallel universe. You looked like you'd seen a ghost."

"I thought I had," she admitted. "Wasn't expecting you to show up out of the blue like that. I always thought that if you managed to find me, I'd know. I'd know you were coming. But I never suspected a thing."

"You weren't too upset though."

"Not at all." She smiled fondly at the slightly hesitant tone of his voice, still worried about whether she wanted him or not after all this time. "It was like all my Christmases had come at once."

"Now there's a reason to celebrate Christmas."

They both chuckled as he turned his head and pressed a kiss to her breastbone. Rose hummed softly. "How much more of this story is there?" she asked.

"Why, you need to be somewhere?" He kissed her again.

"Yes, your bed," she replied seriously.

A huge smile cracked over his face at her words. "You mean our bed," he corrected. "There's plenty of time for that, Rose. You need to hear all about my fabulous adventures at the Court first."

"Go on then, Mr Spectacular," she indulged him. "What happened?"

"I think we should wait for our erstwhile companions to finish up whatever they're doing first… Ah, speak of the devil!" he said as Jack and Kris reappeared suddenly, walking back through the flowers hand in hand. Jack was looking rather pleased with himself. Kris looked somewhere between shocked and awed. "Wonder what they did?" the Doctor murmured. And then, "Hello again!" he exclaimed as the two of them collapsed back down in the soft grass.

"Hey!" Jack replied, sounding smug.

"Guh," Kris said.

"Have fun?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh yeah," Jack told him.

"Guh," seemed to be about the extent of Kris' current vocabulary.

"Perhaps I should continue with the story while your lovely lady finds her mind again?" the Doctor enquired from his place sprawled over Rose.

"By all means, sir," Jack conceded.

"Excellent."

"Guh."

-8-8-8-

Twenty minutes of walking had brought them no closer to anything recognizable as a Court...or a building...or anything but mist and faint grey light.

The Tenth Doctor, wrapped in his own thoughts, hadn't noticed as the two humans had grown paler and paler - and not just in skin. Jack's light blue shirt had been leeched of its color, looking almost ghostly now. Kris' normally fiery hair looked the dull orange-brown of old, weathered rust.

The Tenth Doctor hadn't noticed. But Nine had.

He felt a twinge of sympathy for these two future companions of his, hauled along on this quest of his future self. This was quickly followed by a twinge of annoyance at said future self, for not looking after his humans better...always the same story, he'd get distracted...

His thoughts were interrupted as Kris dropped to her knees, doubling over and violently retching down into the mists. Jack knelt down beside her, smoothing her faded hair back from her blanched face.

The noise even broke Ten out of his reverie, and he had the grace to look abashed. Kris wiped her mouth on the back of her sleeve, for lack of anything better to hand, and stood up shakily, leaning heavily on Jack.

"I'm so sorry," Ten murmured. "You're both fading out...I should have realized, we've been here far too long for you..."

Jack glanced up and down, taking in Kris' hair, his own clothing. "Fading out looks like a good word for it." He grimaced, laying a hand on his stomach. "And I'm not feeling too great either."

"We've got to get you back to the TARDIS..." Ten couldn't help casting a wistful glance off in the direction they'd been going...he had a feeling that they were close, so close...

Nine spoke up. "I'll take them back. You keep going - find the Court. When you do, call the ship to you. You can still do that, right?"

Ten nodded. "But as for taking them back, I've got a better idea." He pulled the sonic screwdriver from his pocket, pressing a button. A moment later, the TARDIS began to materialize, the air filling with the reassuring, familiar sound of the engines.

As soon as the ship had fully appeared, Nine made a shooing motion at Ten. "Go on. Go find it."

Ten looked at his ship. His former self. His companions, Jack's arm around Kris' waist, his other hand holding the TARDIS keys.

Then he turned and walked away.

-8-8-8-

"I have to admit, I wasn't sure we'd ever see you again," Jack put in. "I had all these horrible thoughts of paradoxes running through my head, if we couldn't get your ninth self back to when he belonged..."

Kris grinned. "I might've been thinking the same stuff, if I hadn't been trying to keep from puking all over the place again."

"Oh, I knew I'd come back." The Doctor tightened his arms around Rose again. "We'd made it to the Court. I wasn't going to let anything stop me at that point."

-8-8-8-

The feeling had been right. He had been close.

He'd been walking for perhaps another five minutes when he spotted it. As he drew closer, he was able to make out the features of the huge building...

"How is that possible?"

He hadn't realized he was speaking aloud, but that didn't change the truth of his words. The building in front of him, apart from the mists surrounding it, looked _exactly_ like the High Court on Gallifrey...right down to the chips in the front steps.

He reasoned that it had to be from his memory. Perhaps it would look different to everyone? When he called the TARDIS to him, he could ask.

The Doctor walked up the stone steps. There weren't that many, and in no time, he was stepping into the cavernous entrance hall. Here was where the resemblance to the High Court ended: there was no one in the hall, no guides or advocates or anyone whatsoever. Just a sign.

He stared at it, open-mouthed. It was the court docket, and there was one name on it.

His name. His _real_ name.

He reached out, turned the sign around. His name was more than a secret, and he wasn't ready to add that burden to the ones his companions were already carrying. Once that bit of business was done, the Doctor hastened back outside, drawing the sonic screwdriver from his pocket. It was time to call the TARDIS...and then, apparently, he was expected in court.


	19. Chapter 19

"I can just imagine you being brilliant in a courtroom," Rose remarked as the Doctor paused for breath in his story.

He smiled. "As a lawyer, maybe," he admitted. "I look good in those funny wigs they wear. Probably be quite good as the victim or one of the jury, too. However, I'm not sure I want to be the defendant again."

"But that's what you do every day," she said. "Defend the universe."

"Oh the universe is easy," he told her flippantly. "It's defending myself and my own actions that I apparently have a problem with." He frowned, remembering back to the events that had transpired after they had finally found the ever elusive Court.

Jack grinned. "You made a pretty impressive speech though."

The Doctor nodded sagely. "That I did."

-8-8-8-

The Doctor turned to face the door at the end of the hall as the TARDIS materialised behind him. He could feel his hearts beating rapidly in his chest. He didn't really know what awaited him in the courtroom, but he started planning a speech anyway. He guessed that he would more than likely be asked to state his purposes and reasons for what he was planning to do.

The TARDIS doors opened behind him and his three companions stepped out, Jack pausing to lock up the ship. The Ninth Doctor came to stand next to the Tenth. "This place is familiar," he remarked.

Ten nodded. "Yeah. Unfortunately." He turned to his human companions. "What does this place look like to you?" He wanted to know if the Court would appear to everyone as it did to Time Lords.

Jack shrugged and looked around. "Big old empty hall." He turned to the entrance way. "Ornate doors with stone steps." He faced the other direction. "And an ominous door that holds the air of pomposity and power."

"Kris?"

She bit her lip. "Same," she said. "It feels… alien, though. More stable than the rest of this place, but definitely not what I'd consider normal."

The Ninth Doctor nodded. "This building must be based on what the one coming to make his case would expect to see in such a situation." He tapped his future self on the shoulder. "This is what you think of when you think of important cases and rulings, right?"

"Right."

"So that's what you see. We all see the same because we're working with you for the same intents and purposes. And, well, I _am_ you."

The Tenth Doctor was about to reply when the ominous door at the end of the massive hallway suddenly swung open. It was too dark to see what lay beyond. "I guess that's our calling then," he said.

The team straightened their clothes and then walked in the direction of the open door, the two Doctor's marching side by side with Jack and Kris following behind. They all unconsciously took a deep breath as they filed inside the room.

Inside was a large chamber, all white stone and marble. Flaming torches adorned the walls. It was empty apart from a raised dais in the centre of the room, and a bench at one end. Six judges sat behind it. They all wore flowing cloaks and hoods on their heads.

"I recognise them," the Ninth Doctor whispered as they entered.

"Who?" his future self asked.

He nodded at the judges on either end of the row. "The Black and White Guardians," he replied.

_Oh no._ "And the other four?"

"I don't know. Part of the fairytale? I think they're the Six-Fold God of the Six-Fold realm."

Ten nodded. "That's what I was thinking. Never thought that they existed."

"I never thought a lot of things," his predecessor told him. "Never thought I'd be doing this for a start. Things change."

"Tell me about it." He was about to say more when the door crashed shut behind them and one of the judges stood up.

"The Doctor will present his case," the judge stated clearly.

The Ninth and Tenth Doctors looked between each other, for a moment confused. Ten was just about to suggest a game of paper-rock-scissors to decide which one of them should speak when Nine nudged him forwards. "Go on," he said. "This isn't my time yet."

The Tenth Doctor nodded, and walked to the raised platform whilst the others took a seat on a stone bench that ran along the back wall. His nerves were making him shake, and he hoped that he could keep his voice steady enough to make his case. Everything came down to this. This was where he would find if he would be granted permission to go and get Rose, to fix himself once again. He didn't think he would recover if he was turned down. But, he supposed, if there was one thing that he was good at, it was talking. As long as he could sound convincing enough- and he was pretty sure that he could- then everything would be fine.

He stepped up onto the dais, turning to grin at his companions. He knew that they were all rooting for him- including his former self, who hadn't even met Rose yet. He faced the judges once more. "Hello," he addressed them. "I'm the Doctor."

The six judges nodded at him in greeting, and the one who had spoken previously said, "Proceed, Doctor. What is your intent?"

He decided it would be best to cut to the chase. The judges would know that whatever he was here for was important if only because he had actually taken the trouble to find the Court in the first place. "I want to cross the void to a parallel universe," he said.

This caused some murmuring between the judges. "That is a very steep request, Doctor," he was informed. "Especially from one who is known to us as somewhat of a maverick Time Lord by reputation. Would you care to explain your reasons for wanting to cross from this universe into another?"

He paused for a moment, thinking. He had planned to give the judges a speech on the collective power of the Time Lords, their majesty and how that was destroyed with the Time War. About how he was looking for a little piece of that power to be restored to him so that the last of his race- himself- would not be alone anymore. But somehow that all seemed obsolete now. It didn't seem appropriate. It didn't seem _enough_. "The human race," he said, starting a completely different speech to the one he had planned. He could feel his predecessor's confusion as he sat behind him. "They're ignorant, small, insignificant. They're arrogant and naïve. And yet they're always there. Throughout time and space, the human race is there, fighting on, living on and on until the end of the universe itself. They're written across the stars."

One of the judges frowned. "Is this going somewhere, _Time Lord_?" he asked, making it very clear he didn't see how the human race was relevant to the matters of higher beings.

"Oh yes," the Doctor replied. "You see, the human race make their mark wherever they go. Sure, maybe they make mistakes, maybe their mark isn't always as good or as positive as it could be, but you can't ignore them. They're woven into reality." He smiled widely. "And there's one human who is so tightly bound with the fabric of the universe that the whole of reality might just collapse if that power was ever removed."

"And who is this that you speak of?" the judge asked.

"You may have heard of her as the Bad Wolf," the Doctor said.

It was clear from the raised eyebrows and surprised expressions that the Bad Wolf was not unfamiliar with these men of the universe. "But the Bad Wolf was created at the beginning of time itself," the judge said. "It is written into the fabric of existence. It is a universal constant. It can not have been created by a human. They came later." He said it as though the Doctor were stupid, as though he had fallen on the wrong side of the chicken or the egg debate.

"Oh, but it was," the Doctor corrected him. "One human, a child really, who saw that something was wrong with the universe and took it upon herself to fix it. And she is _fantastic_."

"What is the name of this child, Doctor?"

"Her name is Rose. And she's stuck in a parallel world. And I miss her. I need her. And so does the universe."

The most oratorically-minded judge spoke again. "You wish to bring a human child from one universe to another because you _miss _her?"

"I love her," he said plainly. It felt good to say it. It felt right, natural, meant to be.

"And would you present the evidence of this need? You haven't yet convinced us that this case has merit."

"Of course," the Doctor replied. "I would like to call my ninth incarnation over to the witness stand."

The Ninth Doctor stood and crossed the floor. He took a seat at the end of the row of judges, his seat lower than the rest. He nodded encouragement at his future self.

"You are the Doctor," the Tenth Doctor said to his former body.

Nine nodded. "That's right."

"You are a Time Lord."

He nodded again. "Yes."

"You haven't met Rose yet."

"No."

"But you will." The Tenth Doctor smiled wistfully. "And it will be a great day. You'll save her from a gang of living dummies. You'll think you've saved her life. But in reality she will have saved yours. And for all the time it takes you to save the world, you'll know what it is to live again. You'll remember why life is worth it."

"Okay." He frowned, apparently not understanding this line of questioning.

"In fact it will mean so much to you that you'll ask her twice to go with you."

Nine snorted and shook his head. "I don't do that," he said. "I don't beg."

Ten grinned. "Oh, but you will. I know because I've been there. I've lived it. You _will_ ask her twice. So what do you think that means?"

He frowned. "I think that means that she must be pretty special. I know how to take 'no' as an answer. I don't plead with humans to come travelling with me. Why would I? I don't really need them. So if I ask her twice then I'd say that there must be something there."

"What is this 'something'?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. Call it gut instinct. Call it need. Call it a feeling that this girl is worth more than others would value her at."

Ten raised his hand. "No further questions," he said, in the manner of a defence lawyer.

Nine stepped down from the witness stand and went back to sit on the stone bench. Ten turned to face his other two companions. "Jack!" he said. "You next."

Jack rose and took up the witness stand, winking at the judges as he did so. "Doctor," he greeted, waiting to be questioned. None came. Instead, the Doctor merely looked at him pointedly, eyebrows raised and pleading in his eyes. He was obviously desperate. Jack decided to just talk, and stop when he was interrupted. Charm could go a long way. "The Doctor's right," he said. "Rose is special. When I first met her, I fell for her because she's brave and she's bright and there's just all this _life_ around her." He turned and talked to the judges directly. "She took the Time Vortex into herself," he went on. "She did it to save the Doctor. She saved his life and destroyed the Daleks and the power of the Vortex was killing her, and yet she still managed to bring me back to life where it should've been impossible. If that isn't a girl worth saving then I don't know what is." He stood up and left the stand, walking back to his seat.

The Doctor turned to Kris, gesturing her over to the stand. When she was seated, he said simply, "Kris. Help me."

Kris frowned, the gravity and seriousness of the situation rendering all her verbal skills null and void. She couldn't think of anything to say, nothing that would convince the judges that this case was worth it. She sighed. "I don't know this Rose," she said. "But I know what the Doctor's done to get her back, and she must really be something."

The Doctor smiled softly. "Thank you," he said.

Sensing that he didn't need her to say anything more, Kris stood up and walked back across the floor. She paused when she reached the Doctor, stepping onto the platform beside him and stretching up to press a kiss to his cheek. "I hope it works," she whispered, and went back to her seat.

The Doctor spread his hands in the air and fixed the judges with a stare. "Well?"

The judges were quiet for a time, some lost in thought and some whispering and murmuring between themselves. There was much nodding and head-shaking. Finally the White Guardian stood, apparently elected as speaker. "Thank you for presenting your case, Doctor," he said. "I can appreciate the struggle you must have been through to reach this stage in your quest, and so I know that it must mean a great deal to you. Greater than we can comprehend, perhaps." He gestured to his colleagues.

The Doctor frowned. "So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that we cannot help you," he said somewhat reluctantly. "The fabric of time has been weakened without the Time Lords to maintain it, and since the Court may only assist and advice rather than act directly, we are powerless to help you. We cannot take the risk of endangering time further."

The Black Guardian also stood, ignoring the ashen look on the Doctor's face. "In a rare accord with my colleague," he said, "I must agree that this Court can do nothing to assist you. There is no precedent for risking the death of this universe and another for the sake of one human life, which, with all due respect, is over in a matter of moments in the grand scheme of things."

The Doctor shook his head, anger flashing in his eyes now. "But Rose doesn't belong in the parallel universe!" he exploded. "She belongs in this one! She was pulled into the other one by mistake. Surely her absence is weakening time already. Especially because she is the sustaining force of the Bad Wolf. The creator of something so powerful- however inadvertent that creation was- cannot be allowed to remain in a universe other than their original. Time will collapse."

"Things fall apart," the Black Guardian remarked dismissively.

"The falcon cannot hear the falconer," the Doctor quoted. "Time will skew, it will bend and lose its way. And without the Time Lords, there's nothing that can be done to fix it! You _have_ to help me get Rose back because it will all fall apart if you don't!" A lone tear slipped down his cheek as he held back the urge to sob.

"Time will fall apart, or you will fall apart?" the Black Guardian said somewhat cruelly.

"Surely there is some weight in the Doctor's argument," the White Guardian retorted.

"As much as in the fact that getting to this girl could cause such a huge rupture in the fabric of time that _everything_ would fall apart?"

The White Guardian was overruled by admonishments from the rest of the Court. The Doctor's heart sank a little more.

"We are truly sorry, Doctor, that we cannot reunite you with your love," the White Guardian said kindly. "But you know yourself that the Time Lords were _meant_ to be destroyed in the war, and that everything is as it should be. The old pathways between the universes are not meant to be opened even if there are _enough Time Lords_ to make it possible and safe."

The Doctor dropped to his knees, unable to think straight. His mind was in turmoil at the prospect of having his efforts to get to Rose crushed, and so he didn't notice the inflection of the White Guardian's words. His eyes went wide, and tears dripped down his face unchecked. He didn't even know that he was crying.

Jack and the Ninth Doctor jumped up, shouting at the Court for the injustice in their quick dismissal of the Doctor's case. The Ninth Doctor yelled that the universe would only become more unstable if the last of the Time Lords went into isolation because he had no reason to fight anymore. Jack was yelling about the injustice of it all, about how in a universe of hate and war if there was even the tiniest possibility of bringing some more love into it then they should take it.

Jack's last words made it through the Tenth Doctor's haze of grief, the seed of an idea forming in his brain. His head jerked up, and he met the gaze of the White Guardian who was watching him calmly. The Guardian smiled and gave a slow wink, his words echoing through the Doctor's head. _The Time Lords were __**meant**__ to be destroyed… Even if there were __**enough**__…_ "Oh, how brilliant," he murmured. He stood slowly, nodding at the White Guardian in appreciation.

The rest of the Court had finally succeeded in silencing Jack and the Ninth Doctor, Kris having to pull Jack back when he threatened to beat all of the judges to death. The Black Guardian looked down on them all when quiet was finally achieved. "This is our final verdict," he said. "We will not help you in this matter. And you, Doctor, are strictly forbidden from making any attempt to interfere any further in the issue yourself. If you do, I can assure you that you will not like the consequences."

The Doctor looked as though he was deep in thought. He sucked in a breath and then sighed heavily. "Right," he said. "Then I suppose we'd better get my counterpart here back to where he belongs." He stepped off the dais and wandered over in the direction of the exit, pausing when his companions failed to follow. "Come on," he said. "Nothing more to be done here. We should leave."

"But Doctor," Jack protested.

"But nothing," he said. "It's useless. It's over." His shoulders slumped and he turned and walked away, trusting that his friends would follow. He walked back to the TARDIS, doing his very best impression of a man who has lost everything and probably will never get it back.

He played the part well.

-------------------------------------------------------

**A/N: **Please review:)


	20. Chapter 20

The doors of the TARDIS had barely closed behind Jack when the Tenth Doctor sprang into action. He leapt around the control console like a lunatic, muttering to himself as he flicked switches and set dials.

Nine stood with his arms crossed, shaking his head at his future self. His gaze was stony.

Jack and Kris exchanged a glance, then Jack spoke for both of them. "Um, Doctor? What's going on?"

"It's brilliant! Can't think why I didn't think of it sooner, but when something's just staring you in the face like that...we can punch through to the parallel universe the same way we got here, of course!"

"The same way...you mean it's that easy?" Kris slowly sank down onto the beat-up old couch. "Just like that?"

"Well, not exactly. We'll need one more person to manage the Vortex. Bit trickier, you know, punching all the way through the Void..." The Tenth Doctor trailed off.

"So where are we...oh." Kris bit her lip. "I'm guessing you're talking about me. Since I'm the only person here who can't, currently."

The Ninth Doctor cast a look of sympathy at Jack, as Ten shoved his hands into his pockets, looking everywhere but at Kris and the Captain. "That was the general idea, yeah. If you're willing...we can imbue you with part of the Vortex. We can take some of the energy out of Jack...and by doing that, we just _might_ solve that whole immortality issue."

"How do you mean?" Jack looked suspicious as he slowly walked towards Kris, protectively laying his hands on her shoulders.

"As far as I can tell, Jack, you're like a giant battery now, carrying around the energy of the Time Vortex. But if we take away some of the energy, enough to create the same effect in another human being...you'll still live for hundreds of years, but eventually, you'll age and die. And Kris would do the same."

Jack stared at the two doctors for a moment. "No."

"What?" Ten looked as if he couldn't believe what Jack had just said. "Jack...it's the only way..."

"I don't care. I'm not risking her that way. Not for Rose. Not for you. Not for anyone."

The pressure of Jack's hands left Kris' shoulders. His footsteps echoed, gradually fading away down the main hallway. Kris looked from the Ninth Doctor to the Tenth: both wore expressions of confusion and sadness. Ten perhaps more sadness and less confusion than Nine: he knew Jack, after all, and knew what he was asking Jack to risk. Nine hadn't had those experiences yet.

"Kris..." Ten began. She shook her head.

"It's my decision as much as it's his," she murmured. "And I'll do it. For all of you. So, Doctor...do what you have to do. You'll be in the medical bay?"

He started to say something, then stopped, simply nodding his head.

"Then we'll be there." She swallowed hard. "It might...it might be awhile."

This time it was Nine who spoke. "We'll be ready when you are."

She nodded again, then headed out of the control room. The Doctors had their work to do. So did she.

-----

Silently, Ten set the controls. He could fly the TARDIS _out_ of the Void himself, and did so, heading for a small, empty moon well off of any trade routes or tourist worlds. He was taking no chances with this operation.

Pointedly, he ignored the gaze of his former self until the TARDIS was safely on the moon.

"I'm wondering," Nine finally said, when it was clear that Ten wasn't going to initiate conversation, "when I managed to become so single-minded."

"The day you lose Rose," Ten retorted.

"Of course."

-----

Kris found Jack where she knew she'd find him. He was in his bedroom, sitting on the bed, the sheets and duvet a mess. She'd been spending more nights in his bed than not, even though they'd only recently consummated their relationship...and neither of them were any good about making the bed. What for? They'd just mess it up again anyway.

When she opened the door, he looked up, then returned to staring at his hands, clenched together in his lap. She didn't need to say anything: instead, she crossed the room, walking over slowly and sitting down beside him. She didn't touch him. She was close enough to feel the warmth of his body, but she didn't touch him. Let him be the one to reach out.

After long, long moments of silence, he did. His arm lifted, reaching around her shoulders and pulling her into him. She went, leaning her head against his chest and resting one hand on his leg.

"You're my coffee cup," he said softly.

Kris lifted her head, looking up at him. "What?"

"Well..." Jack's eyes were fixed on his lap. "You know how coffee is great, right? It's strong and interesting and powerful and complex and tasty, and everyone likes it."

"Most everyone, but yeah, I'm with you so far."

With the arm that wasn't around her shoulders, he reached over, taking her hand. "But coffee's no good without a cup to hold it." He looked up, meeting her eyes, with fear on his face. "You're my coffee cup."

She squeezed his hand, cuddling closer again and letting her head fall back to his shoulder. Jack leaned his cheek against her hair, holding her even tighter against him. "You're stuck with me," she whispered. "Remember in Cardiff? Behind those bushes? You ruined me for anyone else, Jack, and you just keep doing it."

"You ruined me, too. If you hadn't figured that out."

Kris closed her eyes and simply let herself be held, let his words wash over her. She knew he was scared, and she was too, but right now his fear was the bigger issue...and the best weapon she had against it was her presence. For more long moments, they sat on the bed, just holding each other.

Finally, Jack murmured, "You aren't allowed to leave me."

"I wasn't planning on it."

"If you did...I'd really miss the smell of you on the sheets."

She smiled, inhaling reflexively. It was true; the bed did smell like the two of them. "You know...it could be _our_ sheets now. In our room." She bit her lip. "I mean, I sleep here all the time anyway. So, I could just...well. If you wanted."

Jack gave her a small smile. "I want."

It wasn't just about sharing a room. It was taking the step, planning for the future, knowing that they'd go on together. Something changed in Jack's eyes, lightening, as he pulled her onto his lap and kissed her, and Kris responded, winding her arms around his neck and running her fingers through his hair. His kiss was deep and desperate, and she had an idea of what he needed...confirmed when she felt his hands on her chest, fumbling to unzip her coverall and push it off her shoulders.

He wasn't the only one who needed. She pulled his braces down and began unbuttoning his shirt.

-----

When it was over and they lay quietly in bed, savoring the afterglow, Kris raised herself up on one elbow and looked into Jack's face. He smiled back at her, and she breathed an internal sigh of relief. Together, they'd managed to work through his fear.

"We should probably get to the medical bay," she murmured.

Jack took her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing the palm. "Yeah."

"They'll be wondering where we are..." She caught her breath as the tip of his tongue drew a small circle in the center of her hand.

"No they won't. They'll know exactly where we are. And what we're doing." His free hand traced a path up her spine. Even completely sated, his touch still made her nerves leap in response.

"How do you do it?" she mumbled.

"What?"

"That. Just..." She smiled, shaking her head, as his fingertips skimmed over her shoulder and down one arm. "Every time you touch me, no matter what, it's just..."

"I know," he finished. "It's the same for me."

She curled herself into him, nestling her head on his chest and draping a leg over his waist. "I promise I won't leave you. Like I said, you're stuck with me. And what we're going to do...with the Vortex...that's just going to help me keep that promise."

"I know," he said again. Then, hesitantly, "You know...the whole living forever thing...it's not all it's cracked up to be. You probably won't like it. You have to watch everyone you love just die around you...while you're stuck going on."

She nodded. "I get all that, but you're forgetting one thing."

"Hm?"

"I won't have to watch _you_ die." She fixed her gaze firmly on his. "And that's enough for me."

Jack lips quirked in a wry smile. He sighed, closing his eyes. "I guess you've got a point there."

"I've got another one too."

"Two in a row?" He grinned. She nodded, placing her finger against his lips. Reflexively he kissed it.

"I'm..." She paused. "I'm not going to say this very well, so just wait till I'm done, OK?"

Jack nodded.

"I...I'm not going to have to watch anyone I love die. Because everyone on this box... somehow we're all managing to cheat death, one way or another. And everyone I love is on this box." She gulped. "You and the Doctor are the people that matter most to me, and I don't have to watch you two die. And you shouldn't have to watch me die. Not when we've got the power to stop it."

Jack waited till he was sure she was finished. He slid his hand into her hair and pulled her head down to him until their foreheads were almost touching. Keeping his eyes open, he stared into hers and asked the only question whose answer mattered.

"Everyone you love?"

She couldn't say it. _I love you._ It was too big. So she settled for something that was almost as good.

"Yeah. But mostly you, though."

He couldn't say it. _I love you, too._ It was too big. So he settled for something that was almost as good.

"Mostly you, too."

-----

The two doctors were in the medical bay, Nine shoving two of the narrow cots side-by-side, as Ten punched instructions into a boxy piece of equipment.

Nine straightened up. "What's wrong," he asked flatly.

Ten looked up. "Sorry?"

"What's wrong. You've got this expression on your face that, if I know me, is halfway between insane jealousy and fierce compassion. So out with it. Tell me."

Ten sighed, hitting one or two last keys. "That should do it," he murmured. "And as for "what's wrong"...I should think it'd be obvious."

Nine stood with his arms crossed, waiting.

"Jack can't die. We covered this, right?"

"Right. He was brought back to life by the Time Vortex, and now he can't die. I sort of figured it out."

"So now he's porting the Vortex around inside him, and in a few minutes, Kris is going to be doing the same thing. Sharing his burden. Never aging, never dying. So Jack, curse and bless him, is going to have the love of his life at his side for eternity."

Nine nodded slowly. "And Rose...will eventually age and die. And leave you. Us."

"That's about it, yeah."

"And you're torn between being happy for two people who obviously deserve happiness, and being envious that you can't have the same thing."

"Right again."

"Not that hard." Nine grinned lopsidedly. "I'm you, after all. But I wouldn't worry. The TARDIS might still have a few tricks we don't quite know about yet."

-----

They walked into the medical bay hand-in-hand, stopping abruptly as they saw the Doctors deep in conversation.

"Maybe we should come back," Jack murmured to Kris, but he was too late - the two men were already turning towards them.

"No need," Nine said softly. "Everything's ready."

"Right!" Ten slapped his hands together, rubbing them in anticipation. "Here's the plan. To re-create the effect that happened to Jack, I'm going to give you a drug that's going to stop your heart. Then when that's done, we're going to use all this machinery to funnel part of the Vortex out of him, to put it in you. It'll revive you and give you the ability to control it, to some degree."

"Wait a sec." Kris twirled her finger in the air. "Rewind. I'm going to have to die for this to work?"

"Well...yeah. I mean, that's the only way to be sure that the same thing will happen. Jack was dead. One hundred percent dead. So that's what we have to do again."

Jack and Kris exchanged a look. Jack's mouth opened; he started to speak. Kris laid her finger across his lips. Her other hand curled around his neck, pulling his forehead down to rest against hers. The Doctors looked on as she pushed up on her tiptoes and breathed something into Jack's ear; not meant for them to hear, but they did anyway.

"Nothing's changed, Jack. Nothing at all."

She let go of him then, laying down on one of the cots that the Doctors had readied. After a moment, Jack joined her on the other one, reaching out with his left arm and lacing their fingers together. Nine and Ten busied themselves for a moment, inserting IV lines and hooking tubes into various pieces of equipment.

When everything was ready, Nine stepped back. This was Ten's show; he was a spectator.

The Tenth Doctor held up a syringe, loaded with a clear liquid. "This drug will stop your heart. It'll be completely painless - you won't feel a thing. Then we'll open the IV shunt and the Vortex will flow into you with Jack's blood. As long as he's focused on reviving you and transferring part of the Vortex, this will go perfectly."

"So if I screw up, we're fcked?" Jack's tone was light, but his face had paled, and sweat was popping out on his brow.

The Doctor held up a second syringe. "This is our backup plan. If the Vortex doesn't revive you, this will get your heart going again."

She knew what he wasn't saying. "But if I'm dead that long..."

"...things could get dicey. So let's assume that Plan A is going to work out, for once."

Kris took a deep breath, and nodded. "Okay. Let's get this show on the road."

"Wait."

Jack sat up. All the color had drained from his face. "I can't."

Kris looked over at him. "What?"

"I can't lose you. You're going to DIE, Kris, has that occurred to you? And if something goes wrong...if I screw up, in other words...I'll lose you. Forever."

"But you're not going to." She fixed her eyes on his and spoke calmly. "You're not going to screw up, Jack. Yeah, it's occurred to me that I'm going to die. Know what?" She reached over, putting a hand on his arm. "You're worth it. The time we'll have...we'll have _forever _together. Think of what we can do with that time. And it'll be you and me - we won't have to worry about losing each other. We'll have the most fun anyone's ever had knocking about this universe.

"If we don't do this, barring stuff like getting hit by a bus, I've got another hundred years in me. And even then, most of the last ones won't be any fun. And I'll just get to watch you, always young, always alive...wanting so badly to share your adventures, but I'll be stuck in a shell that won't let me live. This way, we'll have so much time to have those adventures together. And this universe is pretty damned good at throwing enough surprises at us to last that long. You can't tell me that's not worth dying for."

She didn't wait for him to answer. "Do it, Doctor."

The Doctor didn't hesitate. He shoved the syringe into the IV bag, and watched as the drug traveled down into Kris' arm.

She gave Jack a reassuring smile. "I love you, Jack Harkness."

_She picked a hell of a time to say it,_ he thought, and then was distracted by the soft beep of the monitor abruptly stopping.

"That's it - her heart's stopped. Now, Jack!" And the Doctor flipped the shunt open.

With every cell in his body, he concentrated on the woman lying next to him. Kris. Fixer of broken ships and broken Captains. Fiery hair and blue eyes, rumpled and smiling at him in the morning. Kissable lips opening beneath his mouth, tasting like mint. Strong arms stabbing a man in the leg with a piece of broken chair. Long legs running beside him. And a heart, strong and beating, big enough to hold a piece of the Vortex...to keep her by his side. Always.

He felt his blood flowing down the shunt. Blood...and something else. The shunt was glowing golden. _It's working._

The Doctor's next words confirmed it. "Her heart's beating again. And the Vortex...it's in her. And in you. Jack, it worked. Everybody lives!"

They closed the shunt, disconnected the tubing. Kris was breathing again, the color back in her face. Jack placed his hand on her chest, feeling the beat of her heart against his palm.

He wasn't aware he'd slumped over until he felt the soft, worn fabric of Kris' coverall against his cheek. His eyes drifted closed, and his arms snaked around her, lifting her body to him. The sobs locked in his chest; he wouldn't cry, not in front of the Doctors.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up. The Ninth Doctor was beside him, looking down at him. Jack sighed, his face feeling hot. Kris was still unconscious in his arms.

"She'll sleep for awhile," the Doctor said softly. The Tenth Doctor was in the background, disconnecting equipment and making himself busy.

Jack nodded. He didn't trust himself to speak.

"A word of advice?"

He nodded again.

The Ninth Doctor hunkered down beside him, speaking quietly. "You know a different me, Jack. As far as I understand, you know me after a good length of time has passed since the end of the Time War. But for me...now...it's so recent. Everything is still so raw. And so maybe it's easier for me to say this."

Nine paused, looked down at the sleeping Kris. Jack sat up, the better to look at the Doctor as he spoke.

"Do you love her?"

Jack answered without hesitation. This was the Doctor asking, after all. "Yes."

"Then you tell her. When she wakes up, you tell her. There are so many people...my family, my friends, my _children_. I never told them enough that I loved them. Always tell someone when you love them, Jack, because there might not be a next time. When the words stick in your throat, force them out anyway. When you think that they know, tell them anyway." Nine cast a glance at his future self. "I'm guessing that's a lesson I'm not going to retain. But I'll pass it on to you. When Kris wakes up, the first words she should hear should be, "I love you", coming from your mouth."

Jack couldn't speak. His head dropped; he nodded. How many people over the years had he told? And yet he hadn't been able to say it when the woman he loved, really and truly loved for the first time in his long life, had _died_ right in front of him?

Nine was right.

"Thank you," he said softly.

He was dimly aware of the Doctors leaving the room. Kris continued to breathe slow and deep in his arms, and he stretched out more comfortably beside her, resting his head once again on her chest. It was strange, for him; usually he was the one with the head resting on him. Kris had changed a lot of things.

He fell asleep. He wasn't sure for how long. When he woke, it was to the feeling of the woman in his arms stirring. Instantly, he was leaning up, looking into her face. He wanted to see it: the moment when her eyes fluttered open. He wanted the first thing she saw to be his face, his eyes.

He wasn't disappointed. Blue eyes opened, looked into his. Her cheeks creased in a slow, small smile.

"Hey," she said softly. "I had the weirdest dream..."

He placed a finger over her lips, a mirror of her earlier gesture. No lead-up; no small talk.

"I love you."


	21. Chapter 21

Thirty minutes later, Jack and Kris re-entered the console room where the two Doctors were working on the control panel, moving wiring around and doing something with a pair of pliers. They both looked up when they came in. "You took your time," the Tenth Doctor said.

Jack shrugged. "This is a time machine. I figured we could delay our master plan by half an hour or so."

"Can you not keep your trousers on for more than an hour at a time?" the Ninth Doctor asked.

"I don't have to," Jack replied, grinning. "So why should I?"

-8-8-8-

"So, what were you doing in that time?" the Doctor asked Jack and Kris in the field of flowers.

"What do you think?" Jack said. "We'd just declared our love for each other; we were hardly going to leave it at a handshake!"

The Doctor thought for a minute. "Fair point," he conceded. "It is you after all."

-8-8-8-

Almost as though they were one mind, the four of them made a ring around the central console. The atmosphere was heavy as they prepared to take this final step in their journey, hopefully managing to find everything that they had been searching for for so long. All of them were tense as the Tenth Doctor flicked a few switches and then opened up a panel of the TARDIS. He turned to Jack and Kris. "I need you two to act as a grounding force, anchoring the TARDIS and the Vortex in reality. Me and," he looked at the Ninth Doctor, "myself will facilitate the power to take us to where we want to be." He grinned as though it was easy, as though he didn't have his life riding on this. "Ready?"

They all exchanged glances and smiles as Ten reached out and took Kris's hand, and on the other side of the console, Nine took Jack's. Any other time and Jack probably would have made a wisecrack about the Doctor being flexible with his dance partners, but this definitely wasn't the time. "See you in hell," he muttered instead.

All four of them focused on the energy of the Vortex, and what it was that they wanted out of it. The ground beneath them became less stable. The TARDIS began to shake. And then it winked out of existence.

-----

They re-materialised in space, the viewscreen showing a picture of Earth as they all knew it. Their hands disentangled, Jack and Kris immediately leaning against the console and breathing heavily with the effort of anchoring the TARDIS in reality when technically it shouldn't even have existed.

Nine set to work closing up the panel that had exposed the Heart of the TARDIS, whilst his successor was frantically scrolling through the information on the screen in front of him. "We did it!" he suddenly exclaimed. "We're here! In the right universe. We did it." He had a big smile on his face, and looked happier than he had done in ages.

"How do you know it's the right one?" Jack asked.

Ten looked excited, as though he was thrilled to be explaining his own genius to Jack. "Rose and I had been to this universe before," he said. "And so the TARDIS remembered by using some of the residual energy from the-"

"Doctor," he was cut off by Kris, who was standing by the monitor and looking rather amused.

"Yes?"

"I think we, um, maybe need to back in time a bit."

"Why?" He was immediately by her side, looking down at the screen. He frowned. "Oh."

"Yep," his ninth self replied. "Ten years might not be such a long time in the grand scheme of things, but I'm guessing it's a long time in this situation. You might want to rectify that before we go pick up Rose. Doubt she'd be too thrilled if you'd been gone for over a decade."

He nodded. "Right, yes. Good plan." Refusing to look his companions in the eye, Ten worked the controls of the TARDIS to take them back in time. "She's not too happy about moving," he said, ignoring the chuckles coming from the direction of his friends. "Crossing the void is hard on her. I can only get us two years after I said goodbye to Rose."

"Better than before," Jack said.

"Much better," Kris added.

"Well," said the Doctor. He fidgeted nervously. "I… I guess we should land then."

-8-8-8-

"You were nervous?" Rose asked as she lay with the Doctor's head resting on her chest.

He smiled against her. "Oh yeah," he said. "How could I not be? I had no idea what life had been like for you since I left. For all I knew you could be perfectly happy and shacked up with Mickey."

"I wasn't," she said.

He looked at her teasingly. "Well, I know that now!"

-8-8-8-

The TARDIS landed on Earth, near the large house where alternate-Pete had lived with alternate-Jackie, the ship's memory banks proving useful once again. Ten immediately headed towards the doors, pulling on his long coat as he did so. He opened the door but then paused when he realised the others were still hanging back around the console. "Well?" he said expectantly. "Aren't you coming?"

Kris shuffled forward. "I was thinking that I should maybe stay here," she explained. "I mean, after all this time you deserve to have a private reunion. You don't want to be explaining things and making introductions."

"I agree," Nine said. "I haven't met Rose yet, and believe me I'm looking forward to it, but you should have your moment with her first."

Ten shook his head. "No," he told them. "We came here as a team, and so we're going to finish it as a team. Plus, I'm feeling like I could use some moral support, so if you don't mind…" He nodded towards the doors and gestured to them to hurry up.

"Of course we'll come," Jack said straight away and walked over to the open door. The others quickly followed.

"Right then," Ten said when they had all grouped in the doorway. "Let's go." His hearts were pounding madly as he stepped outside.

They all paused while Kris locked the doors behind them, and then took stock of their location. About five hundred metres ahead was a mansion surrounded by grass and trees. Jack's wrist computer beeped. "It's picking up Rose's vital signs. But I don't think she's at the house. It's too weak to know where she is."

Ten nodded. "We'll wait at the house. Come on!" He set off in front of them like he might do on any regular adventure, but from the way his shoulders were squared and his walk more laboured than usual, his friends behind him could tell that he was more affected by this than he would ever care to admit. He didn't glance back once on the walk to the house, instead keeping his gaze fixed straight ahead. It was clear that there was only one thing on his mind, and he wouldn't be deterred from reaching her now.

They arrived outside the huge front doors of the even-more-huge house, clustering around the doorbell.

"Well?" said Nine. "Are you gonna ring?"

Ten finally looked up at his companions. He was practically buzzing. "You do it," he said to nobody in particular.

"Come on, Doc," Jack protested. "You've spent all these years trying to get here, don't wimp out now! Lose the fear and ring the bell!"

The Doctor was about to answer when there was a loud crash from inside the house, followed by the shriek of an unmistakable voice. _Jackie,_ he thought. He had never thought he would be so ecstatic to see her again. Her shriek was followed by high-pitched laughter. He guessed that it belonged to the child that Jackie had been carrying when he said goodbye to Rose. "Domestic," he mumbled, at exactly the same time as his ninth self. They both smiled deprecatingly.

Finally, when it became obvious that Ten wasn't going to be doing it any time soon, Kris raised her hand and rang the doorbell. There was some shuffling and raised voices from inside the house before the latch slid back and the door opened to reveal Jackie Tyler with an immense look of shock plastered across her face. She stared at her visitors blankly for a few moments before her eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted into the arms of the Ninth Doctor.

-----

Two minutes later and Kris and the Ninth Doctor were getting Jackie settled onto the sofa, still out cold. Jack was talking quietly to the little boy who had toddled up to them as soon as they had entered the house, asking why mummy was sleeping, and the Tenth Doctor was pacing the floor and wringing his hands, occasionally casting a fearful glance at Rose's mother.

As Kris and Nine stepped back, Jackie woke up. Her gaze immediately locked on Ten, and she stood slowly, never taking her eyes off him. He swallowed heavily as she walked forwards and then stopped only inches in front of him. What was only a couple of seconds felt like hours to him before Jackie's hand crashed into the side of his face, knocking his head back. "What the hell took you so long?!" she bellowed.

He stared at her blankly, knowing that he was bright red- and not just because of the slap. "Um…" he started.

"Oh, shut up," she said, and pulled him down into a hug.

He hugged her back, carefully, still afraid of her despite all else that he had faced in his life. He gave Nine a death glare when he saw the man looking at him amusedly. "You're time will come," he said darkly to him before disentangling himself from Jackie's embrace. He looked at her. "Where's um… Where's Rose?" he asked anxiously.

Jackie looked at him fondly. "She's at work," she told him. "But she'll be home soon, don't worry." She turned her gaze to Kris and frowned disapprovingly. "I see you've bought your new strumpet along then." Her eyes were blazing when she looked back at the Doctor.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, realising what was probably going through Jackie's sordid mind. "Strumpet!" he said dumbly. "No. No, no. Not, um… No." He ducked as Jackie went to hit him again. She still managed to clip him around the ear. "_Not_ my strumpet," he finally said.

"Yeah, she's mine," Jack put in, wrapping his arm around Kris's waist.

"Oh!" Jackie said. "Hello." She was practically swooning over Jack despite the rather large ring on her finger.

"Hello," he replied. "I'm Jack Harkness. This is Kris Ballantyne. And who's this little guy?" He gestured to the boy hiding behind the sofa.

"That's Johnny," she said. "My son."

"Yours and Pete's," Ten said.

"No," she replied. "Yours and mine!" She gave him a look to say _well, what do you think?_

He at least had the good grace to look somewhat bashful and apologetic before bending down to the child. "Hello, Johnny," he said. "I'm the Doctor."

"Doctor," the little boy said.

"That's right," he smiled.

"Rose's Doctor." Apparently he was already a household name despite the fact that the child could not be more than two years old.

"Yeah," he told the child honestly. "Rose's Doctor."

-----

An hour later they were all sitting on the sofa in the living room with half empty coffee mugs. Well, they were all sitting on the sofa with the exception of the Tenth Doctor, who was pacing up and down distractedly.

"You'll wear a hole in the carpet like that," Jackie told him.

"Maybe coffee wasn't such a good idea for you," Jack suggested.

"Mm," the Doctor replied vacantly. "I'm really more of a tea man."

There was silence for a moment before Jack went back to his telling of their visit to the monastery on Pleiade Five with the hallucinatory chocolate. He was just getting to the part where he had thought one of the monks was Mariah Carey in a habit when the lock on the front door clicked open, followed by footsteps in the hallway. The story trailed off into silence.

Five seconds later Pete Tyler walked into the room and then stopped dead. He stared from one face to the next before looking back at Ten, their eyes locking together. After a moment he nodded knowingly. "She's at the car," he said quietly.

"Go get her, Doc," Jack said softly.

The Doctor looked at him, practically frozen to the spot.

"Doctor," Jackie said.

He looked at her.

"Go on," she said. "Go and get her."

He studied her for a moment more before nodding and striding out of the room.

"Poor bastard," Jack said.

"Can't believe I'm gonna turn into that," Nine said.

"Shut up," Jackie and Kris said at the same time.

-----

Hearts pounding in his chest and blood rushing in his head, the Doctor walked down the hallway to find the front door standing ajar. He paused for a moment and took a deep breath. He could hear the sound of a car door closing outside. Collecting all his courage and his sense, he pulled the door open and stepped outside before shutting it behind him. He didn't really want anyone to overhear what he was planning on saying in a few minutes time. He turned to face the driveway.

Rose was there. She was rummaging in the back seat of a car, but he still got a clear view of her through the seats. He stood and watched her, transfixed. It didn't quite seem real.

And then she stood up, and he knew that this was definitely not a dream. Or a nightmare. She didn't see him as she shut the car door and swung a small bag over her shoulder, giving him a few moments more just to look at her, drink in the sight of her. She looked beautiful. He felt a smile creep onto his face.

Suddenly, as if sensing his presence, she looked up and saw him. Her mouth opened and her eyes widened, but she didn't say anything. Her breathing became shallower, more rapid. He could practically see her pulse fluttering in her throat. He took a step towards her at the same time she took a step towards him.

They stood and stared at each other. There was only five metres between them, at most. Less space between them than there had been in years, and yet it still felt like too much. "Hello," he said.

She shook her head, as if realising that she wasn't dreaming. She chuffed out a breath. "Hello," she replied uncertainly.

Knowing that the next move had to be hers to make, the Doctor stood still even though he could feel himself buzzing, every cell in his body urging him to go to her, take her in his arms, kiss her, never let her go. He resisted, barely.

She walked towards him slowly, placing her bag on the bonnet of the car on the way. When there was no more than three feet of space left between them, she looked up into his face and held his gaze. "Am I mad?" she asked quietly, clearly terrified that this wasn't real, that she was seeing something that wasn't really there.

He shook his head. "No."

She reached out tentatively, her hand stretching towards his cheek in the same way as it had that day on the beach, in Norway, when there had been no touch. When he had been there, but not been there. When she thought she would never see him again. Now he could prove to her that he was really here, that she wasn't going crazy.

"It's okay," he whispered, encouraging her.

She was trembling as her fingertips grazed his cheekbone, drifting up to his temple and then back down to the corner of his mouth before she cupped his cheek in her hand.

"Rose," he said, his voice deep and throaty as he reacted to her touch.

"I can touch you," she said, her voice filled with disbelief.

"Yes," he replied, the smile flicking across his face once more.

"You're really here."

"Yes." He turned his head and pressed a kiss to her palm, smelling the remnants of perfume that clung to her body and tasting the salt of her skin.

She lifted her other hand and placed it on his arm. "Can you stay?" she asked uncertainly.

There was no point in lying. "No," he said honestly.

"Oh." Her eyes filled with tears and she went to pull her hand away. He stopped her, taking her hands in his and weaving their fingers together.

"But you can come with me," he told her quickly. "I mean… I came here to ask… To tell you… To ask… Rose, I want to take you home." His voice broke and his eyes filled with tears. "Home. Back to our universe. I want you with me. I can't… I'm lost without you. Please."

She smiled at him shakily, a couple of tears slipping down her cheeks. "Don't you dare leave without me," she said to him.

He shook his head. "Wouldn't dream of it." He paused, collected his thoughts, then continued. "And Rose, I have something to tell you. In all honesty I should have said it a long time ago. For all my mastery of time, it turns out that I'm not so good at handling my own. I wasted our time together before. But now," he sighed, "let's not do that anymore." He stepped closer to her, slid his hands up her arms to grip her biceps gently. "Rose…" He trailed off, still scared of the three little words that had the potential to bring him all he had ever wanted, or the potential to take it all away.

She shook her head and placed a finger on his lips. "You don't have to," she told him gently. "I know."

"I know you do," he said quietly around her finger. "But I still have to say it."

She nodded, sliding her hand away from his mouth to play with the hairs at the back of his neck. It made him shiver. "Doctor," she breathed.

The air was still. There was silence, apart from their breathing, the sound of their hearts, a slight rustle from the wind in the trees. "Rose, I love you," he whispered, as though the sentiment would be stolen if he spoke it any louder.

And then her lips were on his. He wasn't sure if it was her that had moved, or if he had done it. All he knew was that one moment he had told Rose that he loved her, and then the next their mouths were pressed together in a sweet kiss. Finally. She pulled away after a few moments, tugging his head down to rest his forehead on hers. "I love you too," she told him.

He smiled. "Quite right, too."

She smiled back and then wrapped her arms around his body. He reciprocated, pulling her body into his and relishing the feel of her pressed against him once again after far too long apart. "You're back," she whispered.

"I'm back." He frowned. "I'm sorry I took so long."

She squeezed him tighter. "Were you alone?" she asked worriedly. "I hope you weren't alone."

His eyes slipped shut. "Inside," he said. "You'll see."

She nodded. "Okay." She held his body close to hers when he made a move to take her hand and lead her inside. "But in a minute. Want you to myself for a little bit first."

He smiled. How could he deny her that? Especially when it was what he wanted too. He kissed her hair and held her tight. Just the two of them, standing in the driveway next to the car, one part of the story over and another about to start. He stroked her hair back from her face and pressed his lips against her temple whilst his hands held her torso to his. He resolved never to let her go again. No matter what it took, and no matter what the consequences. He thought that this time he deserved to be more than a little bit selfish. He deserved the right to take what he wanted for once, after the universe had taken so much else away from him in the past.

He thought that this time he deserved the right to keep her.

----------------------------------------------

**A/N:** We hope you approve. Please let us know what you thought! There's still more to come ;)


	22. Chapter 22

After what seemed like hours, the Doctor reluctantly let his arms relax a tiny bit. "Rose..." he said gently.

"Hmm?"

"We have to go." He gently stroked her hair. "We've got to get back to our own universe."

She lifted her head from his shoulder. "I know. I'm sorry...I just needed that, you know?"

"No more than I did." He kissed her temple again, his stomach fluttering madly still at the newness of it. He vowed to himself, there and then, that he would never let it become routine: he would savor every touch, every kiss, and remind himself each time never to take anything for granted.

He reached down and folded their hands together. "Come on. You have some people to meet."

-----

Rose stopped dead in the doorway of the living room. Her eyes darted from face to face.

First her parents. Known; achingly familiar. Her mind refused to think about having to say goodbye.

Next...

"_Jack?"_

Jack stood from the sofa. His handsome face creased in that broad grin she remembered, and he opened his arms. "C'mere, you."

She ran across the room, the Doctor observing from the doorway with a smile, and the two of them hugged tightly.

"How...?" she mumbled into his neck.

"I'm sure we'll explain everything later. But for now, there's someone I want you to meet."

Jack extended a hand to the woman who had been sitting beside him on the sofa, and raised her to her feet. "Rose Tyler, Kris Ballantyne. Kris is...well..." He paused, searching for some word that would encompass everything that she was to him. "She's...mine."

Rose's mouth dropped open. She'd never thought she'd hear Jack lay claim to someone in such a stark, absolute way...and took a closer look at Kris.

Kris, for her part, smiled, extending a calloused hand. "Nice to finally meet you, Rose. I've heard a lot about you."

"Nice to meet you too," Rose murmured, taking the offered hand. The other woman was small and wiry, but exuded a strength that was to be reckoned with. In short, she was a perfect match for the Captain. Rose grinned...and then turned to the last person in the room.

He was leaning against a wall with that brooding look on his face that was so familiar to me. Arms crossed over his chest, his body language and energy dared anyone to interrupt him. With clinical detachment, she noted that the leather jacket was new, not battered and roughed up as she remembered.

She slowly crossed to him. "Doctor?"

"Yup."

There was a glimmer of the Doctor she knew in the response, but this man seemed so different from how she remembered. "I don't...know you yet. Do I?"

"No." He shook his head. "These three took me from the wreck of the Titanic. You...you are my future."

Experimentally, she reached out, folding her arms around his neck. After a second, she felt hands hesitantly touch her waist, tentatively holding her to him.

"I never thought I'd see this daft old face again," she whispered.

The Tenth Doctor cleared his throat, a faint but clear expression of jealousy crossing his face. "Right then. We really need to be going..."

"Hold on!" That was Jackie. "You're not going to just go swanning off again and leave her here!"

Rose let go of the Ninth Doctor, shaking her head at her mother. "No, Mum. I'm going with them." She looked around the room again, swallowing hard at the silence that had descended at her words. "Right. Guess I'll go and pack, then."

-----

After Rose departed, Ten shoved his hands in his pockets, looking very much as if he wished he wasn't saying what he was. "You could come along too, Jackie, if you like. You and Pete and little what's-his-name."

"Johnny." She glared at the Doctor, then turned her gaze. "Pete?"

"Up to you, Jacks."

Jackie regarded the Doctor thoughtfully, then slowly shook her head. "No. Not now. We've got a life here. Rose doesn't. Not really." She looked at the floor, shaking her head. "So I'll let her go. And you'll take her away from me again...only this time, you'll never bring her back, will you?"

Ten shook his head. "This is for good, Jackie. This is goodbye." He paused. "I'm so sorry. But I need her."

There didn't seem to be anything more to say after that. Instead, Jackie turned to Kris, who along with Jack had settled back down on the sofa. Her gaze slid momentarily over the woman to the handsome Captain seated beside her, and an unmistakable sigh escaped her lips. Reluctantly, she brought her eyes back to the redheaded mechanic.

"Sorry about earlier," she muttered. "Calling you a strumpet, and all."

Kris grinned cheerfully, laying a hand high on Jack's leg and squeezing. The Captain grinned back in response. "Apology accepted, but really, you were right - just had the wrong target, that's all."

Despite herself, Jackie had to laugh.

-----

Rose appeared a few moments later, carrying a duffel bag and shouldering a backpack. The Tenth Doctor cast an inquiring glance at the relatively few things she was bringing, and Rose shrugged. "I never really...settled in. Here."

He nodded, taking the bags from her. The tears were already welling in her eyes as she turned to Jackie and Pete.

"Goodbye Dad," she managed. Pete's arms came around her in a strong hug.

"You'll always be my daughter, Rosie."

Rose couldn't look at Jackie as she hugged her tightly for long minutes. Jackie cast another of her famous glares at the Tenth Doctor over Rose's shoulder.

"You look after her, now," she admonished.

He nodded solemnly. "I will."

Jackie let go of her daughter then. "Go on, then. Go home, Rose."

Rose nodded, drying her eyes on her sleeve, and sniffling. "Let's get - "

She was interrupted by the front door slamming open, and none other than Mickey Smith dashing in. "Don't you dare leave yet!" he exclaimed. "Not without saying goodbye to me, too!"

"Mickey the Idiot," the Tenth Doctor muttered. Pete grinned, looking sheepish.

"I called him while you were packing, Rose."

The Doctor swore under his breath, and Jack chuckled, drawing Mickey's gaze to him. Mickey rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Not you again. Captain of the innuendo squad, is it?"

"Can't keep a good dog down," Jack retorted.

Mickey turned back to the Doctor. "So what took you so long? You've got a bloody time machine and all, why didn't you pop in right after that beach?"

"Is he always this rude?" the Ninth Doctor mumbled. Jack looked over his shoulder.

"You'll find out."

"I'll take that as a yes."

Mickey caught sight of the Ninth Doctor then, and his eyebrows nearly touched his hairline. "You too?"

Nine sighed.

Mickey shook his head. "Don't tell me. I don't want to know what kind of destruction you had to wreak to get here. Just let me say goodbye - cos I know you're leaving - and then I'll go."

Jack exchanged a look with Kris and the Ninth Doctor, and together the three of them trooped out the front door to wait outside...leaving Rose with Mickey, the Tenth Doctor, and her parents...the latter quickly making an equally tactful exit.

The Tenth Doctor studied his fingernails as Rose and Mickey looked uncomfortably at one another. Finally, Rose laughed, nervously. "We've got to leave..."

Mickey nodded, shrugged. "I always knew you'd leave again someday."

"Just...look after them for me, and all? Will you?"

"Course."

They hugged then, and it was an awkward hug...full of all the might-have-beens, and now the addition of the never-will-bes.

"Goodbye, then." Mickey turned away towards the kitchen. Rose opened her mouth to speak, but what could she say? Instead, she settled for leaving things as they were, and turned away. Back towards the Doctor.

He extended his hand to her once again, and they walked together out of the mansion.

-8-8-8-

"And the rest you already know, since, well, you were there and all," the Doctor finished. "We went back to the TARDIS, and the four of us managed the flight back pretty smoothly, I thought."

"It was easier the second time," Jack commented.

The Doctor responded with a grin. "Don't get your hopes up for more practice. Even though we managed to do it that once, I've no desire to shatter time and space by merrily punching holes in the Void."

Kris smiled. "No thanks. Having that feeling of reality trying to tear away from you, sensing every atom in the TARDIS and having to hold it steady...twice was enough."

A sober expression crossed the Doctor's face. "Once more, Kris. And the third time pays for all."

Before the mood could get too melancholy, Jack hastily cut in. "There was one part that the two of us missed, though, that maybe you'd like to fill us in on?"

"What part was that?"

"The goodbye part."

-8-8-8-

Once the four pilots had caught their breath, Ten looked at his ninth self. "Right then. I suppose you know what happens next?"

Nine nodded. "I have to go back. I'm assuming you remember where I'm supposed to be?"

"I left the TARDIS parked in Southampton. That's where I remember being next, anyway, after the shipwreck. One minute I was on the iceberg, the next I was waking up snug and warm in my own bed."

Nine shook his head. "This just proves that there were reasons our people had laws against this kind of thing..."

Rose stood, from where she had been seated on the crash couch. "Can't you stay a little longer? I've only just got to see you again and all..."

Jack elbowed Kris, and they exchanged a look of perfect understanding. Once again, the Tenth Doctor was grateful for their tact, as they slipped away down the hall, doubtlessly for some _exploration_ to occupy their time.

He focused back on Rose and his ninth self, resolutely squashing down the jealousy he felt. After all, it was totally irrational to be jealous of himself...wasn't it?

The Ninth Doctor was shaking his head.

"I can't stay, Rose," he said softly. "Don't you see? I have to go back and meet you for the first time. I have to find you and ask you to come with me, so that we can have all those wonderful adventures that you remember. And so that I can become him." He gestured over his shoulder. "You're my future, Rose. And he's your future; I'm your past. Isn't time wonderful?"

He grinned, suddenly, blindingly. The familiarity almost made her choke.

He was right. Of course he was right.

"No matter what anyone says, I'll always think your ears are handsome," she murmured.

Nine smiled, gently touching her cheek. In the short time he'd known her, he was already feeling his wounds stirring, beginning to heal. What else would she do to him? He could only wait to find out...and judging by what he would be willing to do to get her back, it was going to be one hell of a ride. He looked back once more at his tenth self, who was leaning against the control console of the TARDIS.

"Thank you."

The Tenth Doctor looked surprised. "What for?"

"For giving me something to look forward to."

The Tenth Doctor started to reply, but was interrupted by music suddenly beginning to blare in the control room. He looked about, confused. "What the..."

Rose also looked around, delighted. "It's Glen Miller!"


	23. Chapter 23

"I always did wonder how I knew how to dance," the Doctor remarked. "Don't remember a thing about learning how, just knew that I could do it that day we met Jack."

Rose leaned towards Jack and Kris. "That was also the day he tried to resonate concrete rather than dance with me."

Jack feigned shock. "You turned down dancing in favour of resonating concrete?" he accused the Doctor.

The Doctor shrugged. "I was worried about the potential consequences of all the dancing-related metaphors. Besides," he added. "I thought you wanted to hear about this bit of the story…?"

-8-8-8-

The Ninth Doctor did not look happy. "I can't believe you're making me do this," he huffed as Glen Miller played persistently on. He had his hands on Rose's waist, and was not looking best pleased about being ordered to dance by his future self.

"You have to learn!" Ten exclaimed fervently. "Now, come on. It's not hard."

Rose giggled as Nine started to move them to the music and then promptly tripped over his own feet. She steadied him with her arms around his back. "I promise you get better," she told him.

"Really." He didn't look convinced. "Why do I have to learn again?"

"So you can win the metaphorical pissing contest with Jack the Lad," the Tenth Doctor told him.

"And when does this take place?"

"Somewhere around World War Two."

He nodded sagely. "Ah. I see. Forget I asked."

Rose stood on tiptoe and whispered loudly into his ear. "Don't worry; you win." She stood back and looked him sternly in the face. "But you wouldn't win right now so get your act together."

They grinned at each other then, and for a moment it was just the two of them, back to how it used to be so very long ago now. Rose felt herself drowning in his intense blue gaze. Ten took the opportunity to not-so-craftily turn the volume of the music up before retreating to the Captain's chair and watching his previous self (attempt to) dance with the love of all his lives.

The Ninth Doctor's grin eventually melted away and he said softly, "Dance with me, Rose Tyler."

She nodded. "Of course."

Rose felt herself blushing as she danced with her old Doctor, letting sensation overtake her as he gradually picked up the rhythm of the music and discovered how to move without tripping over his feet- or hers- all the time. It was a strange sensation to have two incarnations of the same man both staring at her with deep emotion in their eyes. It made her feel safe and loved. It made her feel like she had finally come home. She might miss her family now that she knew she was never going to see them again, but she knew she would always be okay for as long as she had the Doctor's- either Doctor's- arms around her.

"I have to go soon," Nine said to her.

"I know," she replied.

"Do you think I'll pass the dance test when the time comes?" he smiled.

She pretended to contemplate that for a moment before replying, "Just about." They were whirling around the console room to an upbeat number similar to the one he had shown off to Jack with the day they had met him.

"And the other… _dance_ test?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

She giggled and blushed a deeper shade of scarlet. "Naughty," she scolded him. "I don't know about that yet."

He pushed her hair out of her face. "You will," he said.

"How do you know?"

He grinned. "I know me well." His expression sobered. "I guess we should say goodbye for now." As if on cue, the music quietened and switched back to Glen Miller's 'Moonlight Serenade.'

Rose nodded. "I guess." She shivered. "It seems weird, saying goodbye." She nodded towards his other self, who was still watching them with interest. "I've only just said hello again. To both of you."

"It has to be this way," he reminded her gently.

"I know," she admitted reluctantly. She raised her face to his and lifted a hand to brush one of his ears. "I'll always love your ears," she told him.

He smiled down at her. "I know. At least someone likes them."

She left her hand up by his head, stroking his closely cropped hair with her fingers. He shivered, and behind them the Tenth Doctor shivered as though she was touching him too. "I'll never see you like this again," she said.

He shook his head. "Probably not. Unless some future me manages to make an even bigger paradox than the current one. Then you never know."

"You'll see me though."

He nodded. "Yes. I'm looking forward to it. But for now, Rose, let me say this." He pushed her hair back behind her ear. "You're fantastic."

She smiled, tears welling up in her eyes at those words which were so familiar to her. Her face drifted closer to his. "So are you," she told him.

He kissed her then, sweetly, gently, almost hesitantly as though he was afraid she might stop him because it wasn't his time for this yet. She kissed back, letting her eyes slip closed and allowing herself to pretend for a second- just for a second- that this Doctor had never died, that it was still the two of them on the TARDIS running through the universe having adventures just like they had done when she was nineteen and barely knew him or what she was capable of. They parted just as she was letting the fantasy fade, her eyes opening back to the reality that was every bit as perfect as she had spent years imagining it would be on the parallel Earth. Maybe even more so.

There were a few bumps and clatters from the interior of the TARDIS, and then Jack and Kris danced clumsily into view. It was obvious from the state of their hair and clothes what they had been up to. "Glen Miller!" Jack exclaimed. "My favourite!" He took Kris' hand and led her into the room. He winked at the Ninth Doctor. "Will you dance with me now, Doctor? I never got to before."

The Ninth Doctor laughed, his arms still loosely around Rose. "Actually, I was just saying goodbye."

"Oh." There was understanding and a slight sadness and regret in Jack's eyes. "It's been good to see you again."

"Hey, I'm still here." He nodded at his future self, who had moved from the chair and was busy setting the TARDIS controls ready to take them to Southampton.

Jack nodded. "I know, but…"

"I know."

The two men stepped forward then and embraced, making no effort to be manly about it. Rose and Kris rolled their eyes at each other as they stood on either side of Jack and the Ninth Doctor. A slight shake followed by the familiar noises told them that the TARDIS was now in flight.

"Won't be long," the Tenth Doctor said quietly from the console. He raised his arm to Rose as Jack stepped away from his previous self. She crossed the room and wrapped her arms round his waist. He buried his nose in her hair and pressed a kiss to the top of her head before the room shook and the TARDIS landed. "Right, we're here," he said. "Better make this quick lest we make this gigantic paradox any bigger." He looked pointedly at the doors.

"Right," said Nine, knowing that his part in this adventure was over. For now. He took a few steps towards the exit. "This way, right?" He opened the door and then hesitated.

"Just a minute," Ten said. "I need to come with you."

The two Doctors exchanged a pointed look, conversing with their eyes. Ten meant that he had to come and wipe his former self's memory of everything that had happened. Nine nodded. "Right," he said again.

Ten looked round at his companions. "Wait here," he told them. "I won't be long. Make some tea or something. Get reacquainted." He picked up something from beneath the console and then made to follow his future self out the door.

"Doctor," Rose called.

They both turned round.

"See you soon," she said to both of them, with different meanings for both of them.

They both smiled softly and nodded, and then walked out of the Tenth Doctor's TARDIS in search of the Ninth's.

-----

"Hello, old girl," the Ninth Doctor said as they re-entered his TARDIS, just as he had left it before that fateful voyage on the Titanic.

The Tenth Doctor drew in a sharp breath as he entered behind his predecessor, for a moment shocked at the state of the ship. He had almost forgotten what a wreck he- and the TARDIS- had been in the period shortly after the Time War. The console was barely hanging together, and the lights were dim and flickering. There was an awful lot of sorrow here.

The two men walked through the room, an unspoken agreement between them about what would happen next. Ten laid his hand against the console as he passed, taking a moment to reassure the TARDIS that all would be well again soon enough, that both she and her beloved Doctor would be fixed. He felt her momentary confusion at having two Doctors on board and then smiled as the ship obviously caught on and realised who this second Doctor was. He continued on, following his past self into the corridors and on towards his bedroom. He had to stop himself from commenting on the state of disrepair he found throughout the ship; after all, he was dealing with himself here. He remembered this mess well.

They reached his bedroom and went inside. The Ninth Doctor crossed to the bed and sat down whilst his successor took out the small device he had picked up from beneath his own TARDIS' console. "Right then," he said. "Shall we?"

Nine nodded. "Just…"

"What?"

"Are you sure…"

"Am I sure what?"

The Ninth Doctor shrugged. "That everything will be okay now?" The haunted look was back in his eyes, the emptiness and loneliness seeping back in. "I mean, will I…" He trailed off and shrugged again.

"You'll be fine," Ten assured him. "You're going to have a great time. You're going to meet Rose." He smiled.

Nine nodded and lay down on the bed. "Go on then," he said. "Do it before I tie you up and run away to take your place."

Ten grinned. "Well, in that case." He raised the device in his hand. "Are you ready?"

"Yes. No- wait." He frowned. "What do I… I mean, what did you do when you woke up with no memory of how you got here?"

"You mean when I was you?"

"Yes."

"I fixed the TARDIS." The TARDIS hummed in approval at that.

"Right. Okay then." He shut his eyes. "I'm ready."

Ten nodded and pressed the small device against his former self's head before holding his fingertips to his temples and carefully probing his recent memories, taking extra care to avoid the recent wounds and fresh hurts from the Time War. He found his memories of the Titanic, moving forwards until he was clinging to the iceberg, wondering if he would make it out of there without freezing to death. And then he clicked the small metal device into action, using his own telepathic abilities to pull all his ninth self's subsequent memories forwards and out of his mind, aided by the device. It was the only way he could be sure he wouldn't remember anything; as a Time Lord, any repressed or hidden memories most likely wouldn't stay so for long. They had to be wiped away completely… With the exception of some residual knowledge of how to dance, of course. He made sure that knowledge stayed put.

Job done, the Doctor used his mind to lull his former self into sleep. He thought that he needed it. And then he pulled back, turning off the small machine and slipping it back in his pocket. He stood and pulled the blanket up over Nine, effectively tucking himself in. He was about to leave when something occurred to him and he leaned down to whisper into his sleeping self's ear. "I hope you can remember how to make anti-plastic," he said. "You'll be needing it." He smiled. "Oh! And remember, you have to ask her twice, okay? Swallow your pride. She's worth it."

He stood and walked to the door, looking back for a second as he reached the threshold. "Thank you," he said simply.

And then he left, walking back through the corridors of the broken TARDIS and then onwards to his own, where the rest of his life was waiting for him.

-----

He walked back into the TARDIS to find his three companions standing in a huddle around the console. They looked up when he came in, grave looks on all of their faces. "What?" he said.

Jack held up a piece of paper. "This appeared," he replied.

"It just… appeared?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Ah." He walked over and took the paper, scanning it quickly. He swallowed down the bolt of nerves that shot through him as he read the printed words. He looked up and smiled, trying to hide the slight wobble in his stance. "Don't worry about it," he told them, discarding the ominous paper on the chair.

"Stuff doesn't just appear on the TARDIS like that," Rose said. "What's it about? What's this Court it mentions?"

The Doctor frowned and shook his head as Jack opened his mouth to reply. The Captain took the hint and kept quiet. "No need to worry," the Doctor replied, kissing her forehead. "Let's just enjoy being together again before we think about anything else, okay?"

She nodded slowly. "'Kay."

The Doctor moved to the controls and took the TARDIS away into the depths of the universe, bending his head as he concentrated on his task. He could feel his companions' eyes on him. Truth be told, he had fully expected some kind of fallout from his gallant mission across the void when he had been expressly forbidden to make any attempt to do so by the Guardians and their Court. He just hadn't expected said fallout to come quite so soon. He sighed, hoping that he would have enough time to explain everything to Rose before he had to go and explain himself to the judges who had the power to take everything he had just re-found away from him once again. He could only hope that time would be on their side, and that it would be enough. He started planning just what he might say to defend himself, as well as all the things he had yet to tell Rose about their time apart. It all suddenly seemed like too much and yet, somehow, not quite enough.

-8-8-8-

"And that's it," the Doctor concluded in the field of flowers. "Finished. Ended. The end of the story. That's all there is."

There was silence around him.

"Apart from the Court," Kris said eventually.

The Doctor nodded gravely. "Apart from the Court," he agreed. "But I guess we'll find out about that soon enough."

There was silence again. The air was heavy, as though a storm was about to break, and the wind blew through the field to flatten the flowers against the grass. The huge old tree above them swayed in the wind. No one said anything for a long while.

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**A/N:** There's still more to come, so please stick with us! And please review because it makes us do a little happy dance and get excited ;)


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